The Difference Between Us
by Laughing Princess
Summary: With an absent father and her two brothers away in the military, Pan Son decides to get a job at the castle where the Royal Family resides in order to gain a little extra money to support her family more. However, Prince Trunks is a reserved, distant man, but when he sees Pan, she unknowingly captures his attention. Will love blossom, or will their differences be just too much?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! All right, this is going to be my first Dragon Ball fanfic that ISN'T a oneshot! **

**Reviews are appreciated!**

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"_I can't just get angry when the world doesn't go my way. There's no need for that."_

_-Kyuhyun, Song: Mr. Simple_

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Ten long years had passed, and still Pan Son hadn't seen her father, Goku. Her mother, Chi-Chi took care of her well, of course, but still, it wasn't quite the same without her father. Pan didn't have many memories regarding Goku, of course, as she had been nine when she'd last seen him, but she could remember feeling happy and at peace with her father around.

However, Goku was a busy man, as he had been forced to leave their home by orders of the king. Living on Planet Vegeta without him was hard for Chi-Chi; Pan was very aware of that. Trying to take care of three kids without him was like a full-time job for their mother, and Pan respected Chi-Chi a lot for all the hard work the woman did. Gohan, being the eldest by being eight years older than Pan, already had a job of his own, working as a respectable captain in King Vegeta's army. Most of their income came from his efforts; Goten worked as Gohan's first lieutenant, which also added to the income.

Pan sighed. Meanwhile, she wasn't allowed to have a job. At least, that's what the three adults always told her. Goten was only three years older than her, but he sometimes had a habit of being too overprotective of her, much like Gohan.

"You don't need to get a job, sis."

"It's not wise, since you're such a pretty girl. Men would try to take advantage of your kindness."

"But I know how to fight!" she would always proclaim.

Despite having learned martial arts, though, Gohan and Goten never fully trusted their sister to be on her own devices. Instead, they told her that her job was to watch after their mother while they were away.

As if that was an actual job!

But Pan wanted to help with the money. Sure, they got off well; thanks to her older brother's efforts, they were a middle-class family. But she wanted to help out, too. She knew how hard all of her family members worked, and she wanted to help pitch in. Heck, even _Goku_ was helping, despite his absence. He was off on the front lines, and although there was no actual war yet, he was told to remain there until further instructions were received.

It made Pan so angry, knowing that King Vegeta purposefully put the most powerful Saiyans out in danger like that. Chi-Chi never told Pan much about how strong her father was, but over the years Pan had come to suspect that King Vegeta had merely put Goku out there in battle out of fear, to make sure that no one too strong was nearby.

She sighed, resting her head against the leather seats that the carriage provided, headed on her way towards the palace. Someday she would get to meet Goku, but in the meantime she was going to have to find a way to work.

Her brothers and mother didn't want her to be in danger nor be around many males, so Pan had taken that into consideration when she had originally been searching for a job. When she'd heard about an opening at King Vegeta's palace, she couldn't believe her luck; this was exactly what she wanted.

From here on out—she automatically assumed that she would get the job—she would be working as a palace servant. She would start to live there, for a while, though she planned on visiting her mother often. Her goal was to raise at least $7,000. If her calculations were right, she would have to work at the palace for only three to five months, depending on what all they had her do. Even though her family had assured her countless of times that they didn't need the money, Pan knew that it'd probably be good if they had a little extra. Chi-Chi herself wasn't a full blooded Saiyan; she was human, and so Pan knew that they would have to take some precautions. It wasn't uncommon for a half-saiyan these days—even King Vegeta's own children, Prince Trunks and Princess Bulla, were half-bloods—so Pan knew that it wouldn't be too bad if her interrogators asked her if she was a half-blood herself.

In all honesty, the only thing Pan didn't look forward to was being around the royal family. Although she'd heard that King Vegeta was strict and fair, and Queen Bulma extremely kind and caring, she had heard that Prince Trunks was extremely violent and arrogant, and she did _not_ want to be around someone like that. Princess Bulla, on the other hand, was well-known for being the exact opposite of her elder brother, so Pan hoped she'd meet her.

"We're here," the carriage driver said, coming to a gentle stop in front of the palace.

For the first time, Pan felt nervous as she looked out the window. Giving a nice tip to the kind man that had driven her all this way, she made her way towards the castle, coming to a stop when she reached a guard that was blocking the entryway.

"State your name and business, ma'am," the guard said.

"My name is Pan Son, and I was here to try for a servant job."

The guard eyed her for a moment. Deciding that she was telling the truth, he stepped to the side. "Your power level is low enough, so go on in. As soon as you reach the Greeting Room, take a left and go straight down that hallway. You'll meet a woman, the Head Maid, named Julie. She will interrogate you for the job properly."

Pan smiled sweetly on the outside, sincerely grateful for his detailed instructions. She felt sort of bad that she had lowered her Ki levels purposefully, but she knew that it was necessary for her getting the job. "Thank you for your help," she said, beaming. The guard seemed flustered and assured her it was no trouble at all, and she headed on inside.

The Greeting Room, as the guard had dubbed it, was spectacular. The roof was easily two stories higher than her house. Oil paintings which must have cost a pretty penny lined up the walls on every side; a large window was directly in front of her, with silky curtains swept aside to allow the sunlight to come in, as it was early noon at this point.

Knowing that she should keep moving, Pan followed the guard's directions and went down the left hallway, which was also decorated with many paintings, only this time the paintings were of people that were warriors. A few faces she recognized from her history books.

A woman was sitting down on a comfortable looking loveseat, reading through a book that she seemed thoroughly engrossed in. Only when Pan's shadow blocked her light did the woman look up.

"Oh! Finally, someone is applying for the job…you are applying, right?" she added hesitantly.

"That's what I came here for," said Pan, eyeing the woman oddly before she gave a polite smile. "Are you Julie?"

The Head Maid nodded her head jollily. "That's correct, young lady! What's your name?"

"My name is Pan," Pan said, still smiling. "What all do you need to know? I have no references, as I've never had a job before, but I work really hard—"

"—and that's more than enough for me to know," the woman interrupted, beaming at Pan. "Not many people are willing to be servants; so far you're the first one to apply today. We've only had five people come in trying to get the job. Everyone is so intimidated by being so close to the royal family, you see."

Pan nodded her head. If it weren't for the fact that she wanted extra money, she, too, wouldn't want to be in the same area as Prince Trunks. Though she normally didn't believe rumors about people, Gohan had absolutely forbade Pan from ever going near Trunks. _"I've met him, Pan, and let me tell you: Prince Trunks is cold and hateful. He gets angry from the simplest of things, and he won't hesitate to harm a woman. If he should ever come to visit the city, make sure he doesn't see you."_ Her elder brother had been absolutely shocked earlier that day when Pan had innocently asked what their future ruler was like; afterwards, she never spoke of Prince Trunks again in front of either of her brothers.

Inwardly glad that she had written a letter for her mother, assuring Chi-Chi of her whereabouts, Pan listened half-heartedly to what the older woman was saying. Gohan would be furious when he found out, but it would be just odd if he stormed into the castle and demanded for his younger sibling. Surely he had more tact than that. Also, Goten would probably be angry with her, too, though Pan knew that he could never hold a grudge against her for too long. She hoped that Chi-Chi would follow her letter's instructions and not tell her brothers of her new job. Her older brothers wouldn't return for a visit for at least two months, so in the meantime Pan didn't have much to worry about.

After a while, Julie gave Pan a tour of the castle. Pan tried to commit the hallways to her memory, but the castle was practically a labyrinth, and she knew that if she didn't have someone with her for the first few days she would get lost often. As if reading her mind, Julie said, "There's another servant here, a few years older than you, and she will be your guide for a while. I'm sure you and Emma will get along swimmingly."

"That's good to know," Pan said, rubbing the back of her neck with an impish grin. "I'm afraid I might get lost."

"It happens to the best of us," Julie said good-naturedly, a booming laugh escaping from her lips, and Pan couldn't help but join in.

Perhaps she would end up liking her job more than she thought.

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**To be continued…**

**And this concludes the first chapter! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! All right, second chapter is up! **

**Enjoy!**

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"_You like to pretend that you're a traveler_

_Even though you hate taking detours_

_So, avoiding the storm under your roof_

_Google becomes your only window towards the world_

_You just don't understand words of love."_

Song: Tonight, Even if You Can't See the Moon

From- Bleach: Fade to Black

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A week had gone by, and Pan had adjusted comfortably to her new life at the castle. Not once had she had an encounter with any of the members of the royal family, nor had anything particularly dramatic occurred. She worked hard every day, and she often got praised for how thorough she was.

"Wow, Pan," said Emma, a fellow servant. She was only a couple years older than Pan, but the two of them had bonded almost immediately, like sisters. She knelt down beside Pan and stared in amazement at the floors, which were so clean that you could see your own reflection. "I've cleaned these many times, but never have I been able to get rid of those mud stains! You must have a lot of strength in you, eh?" She got back onto her feet and beamed. "The Head Maid will be pleased with you! Great job, Pan!"

Pan got to her feet as well, admiring the floors. "It was nothing." Though, she knew that if it weren't for the Saiyan blood within her, she wouldn't have been able to do such a good job. Hopefully no one would ever question her strength.

Pan walked around the castle, dusting off this and that, and occasionally she tried to get rid of the wrinkles on the curtains that outlined the wide windows. As she worked, her thoughts fled over to her mother, and her two older brothers. Guilt washed up in her; she hadn't received a letter from Chi-Chi nor Gohan or Goten, so she assumed that Chi-Chi had reluctantly accepted Pan's decision, and hadn't told either of her brothers what Pan was up to.

Pan sighed. Only seven days had gone by, and she already missed them. At least Chi-Chi was only about ten miles away. Pan would be there in five minutes or less if she flew by using her Ki. Trying to keep herself on the bright side, Pan continued to dust off the cobwebs in some corners of the castle.

She put her arms akimbo as she looked around the hallway. Everything was neat and in order. _I should get a raise for all the extra hard work I've done,_ Pan thought with a small smile. But she knew she would get no such thing. At least her pay check would be arriving the next week, so she looked forward to that.

Pan was about to walk out of the hallway when she suddenly froze.

She had no idea where she was.

Pan was lost. And what's worse, she was in a completely different area that she didn't recall Julie nor Emma taking her through. Had Pan overstepped the boundaries of her cleaning area? Each servant was assigned to clean a certain area of the castle, as cleaning the whole thing would be just impossible. Pan served the kitchen and South Wing, which was pretty much the area where guests would come through before making their way towards the Throne Room, to meet with King Vegeta and Queen Bulma.

Without a doubt in her mind Pan knew that she was stuck in the North Wing. Like an idiot, she had walked over the invisible line drawn for her while she had been thinking about her family. If Gohan were here, he would've killed her.

She took a deep breath. _Calm down, Pan. You'll get through this. There must be servants of this wing, right? So just go up to one and ask for directions. Yeah, directions…_

She moved down the hallway, pausing at every door and opening it in an attempt to see if any servants were in there. She had no such luck, and so she continued on down the hallway, hoping against hope that she'd fine _someone._

A heavy sigh of relief escaped Pan's lips as she saw a young woman up ahead. Pan noticed the bright blue hair color, and Pan couldn't help but feel slightly curious as she ran up to the girl. "Excuse me, miss, but I'm lost…do you know where the South Wing is?" she asked politely.

The young woman whirled around and stared at Pan in surprise. Pan blinked a couple of times; this woman was _not_ a servant. Her dress was made out of a fine fabric that probably cost more than what Pan's house cost, and her hair was styled in elaborate curls that were way too perfect to belong to a commoner. Perhaps she was a royal guest?

A smile spread across the woman's face. "You're new here, aren't you." She made it a statement, and not a question. When Pan meekly nodded her head, the smile got wider. "Ah. That explains why you don't know who I am. _Do_ you know who I am?" she asked.

"No, ma'am," said Pan. She bowed her head. "If you're someone really important, please forgive me. You see, I'm new, as you said, and this castle is like a labyrinth for me."

"You can say that again," the girl said, laughing. She had her arms hanged loosely at her sides, her back straight, her chin held high. Her blue hair reached at her waist, and Pan couldn't help but think that she was an absolute beauty. "This castle is big, but don't worry. Over time you'll manage. What's your name?"

"My name?" said Pan, surprised. "Pan."

"Don't you have a last name?" the girl asked. Pan stayed silent; she hadn't wanted to give anyone her last name, not really. She hadn't even given _Julie_ her last name when she had applied for the job, which, Pan supposed, wasn't really a good thing on the Head Maid's part.

"I'd rather not give it, if you don't mind," said Pan. "I'm sorry."

The young woman looked amused, but said nothing else on the matter. "Do you even have a _guess_ as to know who I am?"

"No."

"Well, I suppose that's normal. My father keeps me locked in the castle like a bird in a cage." The girl sighed unhappily before she gave Pan a weak smile and held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Pan. Tell me, why did you decide to come and work here?"

Pan smiled. "Well…to be honest, I'm only doing it for extra money. My mother…I worry about her health, you see, so I wanted to make sure that we'll have enough money should her health ever start to go downhill, you know? For medicine and all that."

"Don't you have other family members to help provide for your mother?"

"I do. My father hasn't been home with us in years, though. I haven't seen him in a long time. My older brothers have become officers in the military, but I don't see them very much. But that's okay," said Pan. "I'm going to work as hard as I can for my family's sakes."

Talking about her family made Pan more homesick, so she quickly changed the subject. "You mentioned that your father keeps you locked up in this castle? That must be pretty rough."

"Yeah, well, as a result I tend to be really gullible. I know nothing about the outside world…not much, anyway," said the girl, and she sounded annoyed. She immediately tried to cover it up by forcing her tone to be light. "My parents are overprotective of me. I'm their 'baby' after all. My older brother gets all the luck, though; he gets to leave the castle when he wants."

"You have a brother, too?" said Pan. "Then you're not too lonely, right?"

"Are you kidding me? My older brother has nothing to do with me anymore. We used to be really close, but lately he's been reclusive. My brother never talks to anyone anymore, and it's been getting on my mother's nerves lately. Not that I blame her! He's been so selfish and hateful lately, and we don't know why."

"Perhaps one of you hurt his pride?" Pan asked. She suddenly thought that it was very odd that she had come up to this girl wanting directions, but now it seemed as if Pan was giving advice instead. When the girl gave her a look of confusion, Pan went on. "My brothers are older than me, you see. Whenever I'd go over the line with an insult, they would always be in a bad mood for a long time until I apologized." She shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe it's a male thing. Who knows? But maybe you should try to apologize to him, first."

"I suppose you're right," the girl said, looking surprised. "Do you think that'd work?"

"Well, he could be in a bad mood in general," said Pan. "Maybe something's really disappointed him. When guys are upset, they don't voice what's troubling them aloud; they try to deal with it on their own, confusing way. So if apologizing doesn't work, something else is bugging him. How long has he been this way?"

The girl winced. "Four years, since he was seventeen."

Pan's eyes widened. "Really? Then…good luck. Because I don't know how I'd handle that. None of my brothers have held a grudge against me that long."

The young woman smiled. "In any case, thanks for the advice, Pan. Hey, I just had a great idea!" Her eyes brightened with excitement; Pan couldn't help but feel slightly cautious. Excited friends of her past always got her into trouble. "How about you start and be my own personal servant? You can quit whenever you want, of course, but you can be my friend! Wouldn't that be great?"

"What?" Pan asked, surprised. "You'd want me to be paid…for merely hanging around you?"

"Yeah!" said the girl, nodding her head like it was the most obvious thing. "How much do you want?"

"Um…as much as I appreciate that offer, I'm going to have to work with my own hands," said Pan, smiling kindly at the young woman. "I really do appreciate that, but, even without money, I would be your friend."

The girl stared at Pan in shock. "R-Really? You would be friends with me, without having to be paid for it?"

Pan stared at her. _What kind of friends has she been hanging out with? _"Um, no. I wouldn't take your money for something like that."

The girl squealed. "Awesome! Then, you can do a few chores every now and then, but you won't have to work as hard, and you'll continue to get the same pay. I want you to live in the same chambers as me, and we can be friends, okay?"

Pan blinked. Everything was happening so fast. "But…but…what?" she finally stammered. "I don't even know your name, miss!" she said weakly as the girl grabbed her wrist, hurrying down the hallways. "And where are we going?"

"We're going to go pick up all of your belongings and put them in my room," said the girl, beaming at Pan. "And my name is Princess Bulla, but you can call me Bulla."

Pan dug her feet into the carpet, causing the two of them to come to a halt. "Wait a moment!" she pleaded.

Bulla stared at her, amazed. "Wow! You've got a long of strength, don't you? And I'm half-Saiyan!" she said, grinning at Pan. "You're not, by any chance, saiyan, are you?"

"Um," Pan said. "I…don't…know?"

Bulla didn't seem to be paying attention, though. "Well, don't worry. You're going to love having your own room! It'll be shared with mine, of course, but we'll both still have our privacy."

_I highly doubt that,_ thought Pan, but she wasn't upset at that idea. In fact, she felt a little enthusiastic about the idea. Bulla seemed friendly enough, so surely it would be all right.

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Pan's eyes widened as she stepped into Princess Bulla's bedroom. The room was bigger than Pan's living room back at home, and Pan felt her eyes become wide in shock as she looked around. As soon as you entered the room a window was straight ahead, and it took over the entire wall. There was a beautiful view of the courtyard, and a large fountain stood in the center of the garden. Bulla's bed was big enough to have five people lay in it, and it was circular, with big, fancy pillows adorning it.

"This is your room?" gasped Pan. She wasn't able to keep her mouth from hanging open. "It's gorgeous! Fit for a princess indeed!"

"Thanks," Bulla said, shrugging her shoulders. Her smile brightened. "Come on, let me show you your room. It's not as big as mine, since they're connected, but I'm sure you'll love it!" Pan followed Bulla across the room, watching as Bulla pulled open a large mahogany door. "Go on inside, and tell me what you think!"

Pan hesitated. Then she walked inside, only for her breath to be taken away once more. It was probably as big as her living room, and for a bedroom, that was pretty nice. Pan's eyes became as wide as saucers as she approached her bed. "Isn't this...too much?" she finally managed to get out.

But Bulla waved her hand dismissively. "Of course not! This is perfect for you. Besides, you seem nice enough, and I admire that you're doing this all for your mother's sake." The princess shrugged her shoulders. "In any case, you can just pick up my room or go off on little missions for me, like delivery. Most of the time, though, I'd like it if you remained as my escort."

"Escort?" Pan repeated. "What does that mean?"

"You'll just go everywhere with me," said Bulla. "It'll be a lot of fun. I don't have many people to talk to, so you'd be perfect. Though, I'd like it if you visited me often after you quit your job here," she added, looking at Pan with a hopeful expression.

Pan smiled and nodded her head. "Of course I'll visit you, Princess Bulla. I'd love to that."

"Bulla," the young woman corrected. "No need to call me by that title. Unless we're in front of my parents. It'd be good for you to address me formally in front of them, or they might get the wrong impression."

"Of course, Bulla," said Pan, testing the name out. She smiled before she looked around. "Is there anything you want me to do right now? Clean? Dust off anything?"

Bulla sat down on Pan's bed and shook her head. "Nah. I'd like it if we just...talked, I guess. I'd like to know more about you, if you don't mind."

"Okay!" Pan smiled. "I'd like that, too." She went over on the bed and sat opposite of Bulla, waiting patiently for the questions to come.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Orange," said Pan at once.

"Favorite animal?"

"Dogs."

"Favorite food?"

"Everything," said Pan with a laugh. She paused. "What about you? What's your favorite food?"

"Surprisingly, I don't have a favorite food," admitted Bulla. "I like everything, too."

"What about your favorite color, then?" asked Pan.

Bulla grinned. "Blue. Surprising, right?" she laughed.

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The two girls talked the remainder of the day, and not once did Pan's mind drift off towards her family. It seemed as if talking with Bulla eased away Pan's worries, and she was grateful that the Princess had calmed her down a bit, even though Bulla didn't even realize it. Bulla confided to Pan that she was sometimes really bored of her mundane life, as King Vegeta would never let the young princess go anywhere where he couldn't sense her. Prince Trunks, on the other hand, was allowed to roam wherever he pleased whenever he pleased.

"Doesn't your parents worry about him whenever he goes missing occasionally?" Pan asked with a frown.

"No. They're used to it by now. Besides, he always returns." But Bulla looked troubled. "I worry about him. Ever since he came back from his year-long training in the military he hasn't been the same. He's hateful, and he always speaks so condescendingly to everyone. He shows no respect to anyone, not even our parents anymore. My dad doesn't care, though. He says that he went through the same thing, which concerns my mother and me. Trunks used to be so kind and polite, and somehow he's changed. He doesn't say kind things to me anymore, only hurtful, so I avoid him most of the time." A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she leaned back against the pillows beside Pan. A comfortable silence enveloped them before a loud grumbling was heard.

Pan blushed. "Forgive me, Princess. I haven't eaten since twelve o'clock."

Bulla's eyes widened. "What? That was nine hours ago! Come. We shall go eat dinner together."

"Wh-What? No! That's not necessary," said Pan worriedly. "I'm a mere commoner; eating with the Royal Family is a whole different thing from just being with you, Bulla!"

"My mother won't mind, and my father won't care," Bulla assured her. "Trunks...he might make a few nasty comments, but he won't hurt you or anything."

"I...have nothing to wear," Pan said meekly, gesturing at her servant outfit. "I'll make you look bad, Bulla. I wouldn't want that."

"Nonsense!" Bulla laughed. "I have plenty out outfits." At Pan's horrified expression, Bulla held up her hands in defense. "Hey, I have a few dresses in there that would be worthy of a middle-class person. I'm sure you'll like it."

Pan gulped as Bulla walked out of the room, hoping that she wouldn't be forced to wear anything flashy or too rich-looking for her.

The cheerful princess returned a few moments later, holding out a simple red evening dress. It was long, so that it would reach Pan's ankles (Pan wasn't used to wearing dresses to begin with; only whenever she had gone out to important functions had she ever worn a dress), and the neckline was at a nice end, so that it wouldn't show too much.

"Go try it on!" Bulla ordered happily. "I think this dress will suit you a lot better than me, anyways, so you can have it, if you want."

Pan winced before she got to her feet, holding the dress in her hands before she stepped out of Bulla's view.

"Don't laugh at me," she said in a joking manner after she'd pulled it on. "Or else I'll never go eat with you again, Bulla."

"I won't," Bulla assured with a chuckle.

Taking a deep breath, Pan finally walked out in front of Bulla. She put her hands on her hips, glancing at herself in the mirror. In her opinion, she looked fine. The dress was simple enough, at least, and Pan appreciated it. Her gaze locked with Bulla's, gauging the princess's reaction.

Bulla beamed. "You look great! It really suits you, Pan! You look more like a noble right now!" She got to her feet and pulled Pan along with her out of the room. "Now, come on. I want my family to meet you; they'll love you!" she said excitedly.

On the outside, Pan wore a polite, timid smile and nodded her head eagerly. On the inside, though, Pan felt like a million butterflies were fluttering in her stomach, and her throat felt like it was tightening. _Be calm, Pan. Be calm,_ she thought to herself in an attempt to make her feel better, but it didn't work. The whole time she felt her heart racing in her chest, as if she was about to face execution instead of a simple family dinner. Despite all the fear she was feeling at the moment, though, Pan managed one sarcastic thought: _I sure feel bad for whoever is going to marry Bulla._

"Ready?" Bulla asked excitedly as they came to a stop in front of two doors that were at least two stories high.

Behind that door was the king and queen of planet Vegeta, and Pan swallowed thickly.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she said weakly.

Slowly, the guards that were stationed outside the doors began to open them.

Pan took a deep breath and followed Bulla inside.

* * *

**To Be Continued...**

**Maybe.**

**I love the amount of 'Views' I've received on this story, so don't get me wrong! **

**I'd just like some more feedback, you know? **

**Have a great day everyone!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! Okay, before the first chapter, I'd like to say a few things to my reviewers as a big thank you! I updated a lot more quickly, because your reviews really cheered me up! I even stayed up SUUUUPER LAAATE for this, so I hope you enjoy!**

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**Lol girl Lisa: I felt really happy when I saw your review, so I hope you like this chapter! You really motivated me! Thank you for your review; I appreciated it! I hope you continue to like the story!**

**nite-fire: Thanks! I'm glad you like it so far! I can only hope that you will continue to like it! ^_^ Thank you for your review, it means a lot!**

**ViridianSnow: When I saw how long your review was, I was especially happy! Yes, I agree that the idea isn't that original, too, but I wanted to just explore the concept. ^_^ You've given me many compliments, and I really appreciate your review! I'm really grateful that you gave me such a long review; I can only hope that I will continue to grab your attention! I will try to work on the "brief" parts, though I must admit I sort of feel like this chapter was _slightly_ rushed, as I was extremely tired as I wrote it...still, though, I hope you enjoy it, and I appreciate your very long review! Thank you!**

**Meemi: Thank you! Your review really cheered me up as well! So thank you! :D**

**msanimegeek: After your review I hurriedly looked up Ice Prince, wanting to see the similarities so that I could make sure to avoid anymore, but then I saw that it was rated "M" and I didn't really read the story. I don't read "M" fanfics, as they're not really my cup of tea, but it sounded like Trunks and Pan were in a similar world like this story's, so I suppose I can see that similarity. I didn't even try to read the story...with "M" fanfics I'm a chicken and I avoid them. :D In any case, thanks for your review!**

_**To everyone: Thanks for your reviews! I truly appreciate it! I agree, the idea itself isn't original, but I'm hoping that somehow I can make this story more...captivating. So thank you for reviewing! And please continue to do so! Your reviews are like food for me! It only takes one review to cheer me up, no matter how long or short it is! Please keep it up, or PM me! :)**_

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"_Thousands of cherry blossoms dwindling in the light_

_Though I can't hear your voice _

_Keep what I say in mind_

_This bouquet that surrounds is iron poison, see_

_Looking down at us from that big guillotine _

_Darkness has just engulfed the universe we know_

_The lament that you sing _

_Can't reach ears anymore_

_We are still far away from reaching clear blue skies_

_Go ahead, keep shooting, with that ray gun fight!"_

-Miku Hatsune, Song: Senbonzakura (Thousands of Cherry Blossoms)

* * *

The moment they stepped into the room, Pan's nerves immediately evaporated. She wasn't sure if it was perhaps the warmth she felt from the room, the aroma of the delicious food on the table, the fact that she didn't see Prince Trunks, or whether it was the fact that Queen Bulma, who looked very much like the princess, was beaming at her with a such a kind smile that reminded Pan of her own mother's smile.

She figured that it was all of the above.

Bulla happily led the way to the table, sitting down in a chair. Pan paused, though, when she stood by her chair, and looked up at the queen and king before she gave a very low bow to them. After she did so, she took her seat, letting out a heavy breath she hadn't been aware that she had been holding.

"Bulla, who is your guest?" The queen asked, smiling. "I didn't know you had made any friends within the castle."

"Pan is new here," Bulla explained. She smiled at Pan before she turned to look back at her mother. "She's a servant here that got lost, and she sort of bumped into me. After talking for merely a few minutes we soon became fast friends. I'm going to have her be my own personal servant. Isn't that great?"

"That's very kind of you," Queen Bulma said, and she gave Pan a warm smile before she added, "Go ahead and eat whatever you'd like, Pan. A friend of our daughter's is a friend of ours!"

"Thank you, Queen Bulma," said Pan with a small smile. The nerves had returned, though they weren't quite as forceful as they had been. She took in the whole room around her, admiring the detail around her. The Royal Dining Room was large, large enough to hold more than a few hundred people inside. Pan couldn't help but wonder if perhaps the Royal Family would have balls thrown in this room sometimes.

"I'm sorry that Trunks isn't here," said Bulma. "We have no idea where he is at the moment. It's a shame that you couldn't meet him."

"That's all right," said Pan as she poured herself some tea. She smiled sincerely at Bulma. "I've heard he's a…strong leader." _That's not a lie, at least,_ she thought, pleased with herself.

"Oh, he is!" said Bulma enthusiastically. She had such pride in her eyes that Pan almost felt bad for the queen; despite her son's atrocious behavior, she still favored him with all the love a mother could have. The queen was just like any other doting mother, and Pan respected that, though she felt bad that Prince Trunks was probably just manipulating her. "Trunks has always had such strong leadership qualities. After he gets out of this, er, _phase_ of his, he will undoubtedly be one of the strongest leaders in the history of this planet! Right, Vegeta?"

For the first time, Pan fully looked at the king. He looked as intimidating as she'd heard, but somehow her gut told her that he was an overall good man. After all, he'd managed to raise someone as kind as Princess Bulla, and he had such a loving wife. Surely he was a good man.

King Vegeta stared at Pan for a moment before he glanced at Bulla. "Out of pure curiosity, why did you choose this youngling as your servant? We've had countless of other candidates in the past, but you always wanted to be on your own."

"Well…to be frank, she's more around my age. Also, what intrigued me was that she did not know who I was," admitted Bulla, glancing at Pan before turning back to her father. "Pan treated me kindly despite that, as if she were talking to a completely different person. I realized that she was a respectful person in general, and so I thought she'd be a great friend. I don't have many friends, too, so I figured…" Bulla trailed off before she shrugged her shoulders. "In any case, Pan is a great person. I even offered to give her money so that she could just be my friend, but she refused! She just wants her normal pay, and wants to do some real chores for me. Although she's classified as my 'servant,' I don't really feel like she is one." She beamed at Pan. "I view her like a sister, to be honest. I feel like we've known each other for years!"

Pan smiled, embarrassed at the praises she was receiving. "It's not that big of a deal, Princess Bulla," she said shyly. "I am honored that I've become friends with someone as kind as you."

"See what I mean?" Princess Bulla let out a free laugh—a sort of laugh you'd expect to see a person give when they receive an unexpected but delightful surprise when it wasn't even their birthday—that boomed throughout the room. Because of the room's humongous size, her laugh seemed to echo. "Pan is extremely polite and kind. She's the best!"

"That's wonderful!" Queen Bulma said, and she took a bite of the food on her plate before she wiped daintily at her mouth.

"Like I said, I'm not that amazing," said Pan earnestly, her face feeling hot.

"You're too humble," laughed Bulla.

"I'm really not," Pan insisted, blushing now.

King Vegeta stared at the two for a long hard moment before he nodded his head. "I approve of her. It's good for you to have more…companions. It is nice to meet you, Pan."

Pan bowed her head lowly before she looked back up at him, smiling. "Thank you, King Vegeta."

He turned his head quickly back to his food and began to eat, effectively cutting off their eye-contact.

"Do you have _any_ idea where Trunks might be?" asked Bulla after a few minutes of eating went by. Pan, who wasn't used to eating such big quantities at once, was full already. Bulla seemed to be done as well; it was only the king who was still eating.

Queen Bulma shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not. The only report we've heard so far is that he flew out of his room this morning. Unfortunately, it's most likely that he's gone off to go start a fight or something. He's been so angry lately, he's probably released his pent up stress on an innocent forest and cut it down." Bulma paled. "I _do_ hope that he isn't messing around with those _women._"

"At least he's not gay," King Vegeta grumbled.

Pan stifled a smile.

"Of course he isn't!" said Bulma, appalled at her husband's choice of words. "Why would you even question it?" Vegeta opened his mouth to answer, undoubtedly about to say many insults about their son, when Bulma hastily cut him off and directed her attention onto Pan. "So, Pan, why did you choose to become a servant here?" she said, changing the subject effectively.

Pan hesitated, feeling nervous under the scrutinizing eyes of the two most powerful people of her planet. Talking to Bulla was easy. But talking when all three of them were listening intently? Pan began to feel unsettled, so she couldn't help it when she took on a shy tone.

"I worry about my mother often. My older brothers have joined the military, you see, and we haven't seen our father in ten years. My mother doesn't have a job, for she mostly tends to the house. However, I worry that someday her health will go down, and I want to make sure that we have enough money to afford medicine. I want to make sure that, when my mother becomes old, she will have the best medicine that can be offered."

"You care about money, then?" said King Vegeta, looking at Pan closely.

She shook her head. "No," said Pan gently. "Money is a great thing, but I'm not greedy…or at least, I'd like to think that I'm not. I just want to be prepared for when that day comes, because my mother's health has been a bit frail since our father left. Money isn't everything. I'm aware of that. But…" Pan frowned a moment before she smiled timidly at the king and queen. "But I just want my family to be better financially when that time comes. Hopefully, it won't come for a very long time."

"That's so noble of you," said Queen Bulma kindly. "Your mother is a very lucky woman to have such a sweet daughter! Not many your age would be willing to do such things like hard labor," she mused.

Pan fidgeted in her chair, uncomfortable with the praise she was receiving. Really, she didn't feel like she deserved it at all. All she was doing was what she thought best for her family.

"I'm just normal," said Pan, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. She let out a heavy sigh. "I do miss them, though. My mom's always been there for me, you know? I miss my older brothers, too, but…well, eventually we'll be reunited, and I look forward to that day." She grinned. "Until then, I have to work hard for our mother's sake. My older brothers would kill me if they found out I had a job, especially here."

"Why?" asked King Vegeta, glancing up at Pan.

"Well…they just worry about my safety," said Pan. "They fear that I'll be taken advantage of."

"No need to worry about that," said Vegeta with a snort. "Any male in my castle that acts undignified will be severely punished and exiled from the castle."

BAM!

"Except him," grumbled Vegeta.

Pan's head whipped around, concerned as the two large doors were flung open, revealing a young man with an expression of pure scorn on his face. His very aura made Pan feel like she was choking; worriedly she looked at her three companions. All of them, though, seemed unaffected.

He stormed into the room, pausing at his chair that was directly in front of Bulla's, and glared at Pan before he turned to look at his parents.

_This is Prince Trunks?_ Pan thought. _I'm glad my brothers taught me martial arts, even though I'm not sure if I could take him on. This guy's power…I can feel is Ki…it's much stronger than mine._

The future leader of her planet had lavender hair that was short, though his bangs were long, covering some of his forehead. His eyes were a deep blue color that reminded Pan of snowy days, though at the moment they were as hard as ice. He was much taller than she was; even though they weren't standing beside each other, Pan could tell that her eyes would meet with his shoulders if she were to stand next to the man. His shoulders were broad, and it was clear that he trained often.

He was an intimidating man, even more so than his dad—in Pan's opinion, at least.

"Who is this girl?" Prince Trunks demanded, glaring at King Vegeta. "Why is a _filthy peasant _sitting at our table?"

Pan's eyes widened. Never in her life had someone insulted her so bluntly. She glanced unsurely at Bulla; the young princess's attention, however, was locked on her elder brother.

"Trunks!" Bulma cried in outrage. "Don't treat a guest like that!"

"A guest?" snarled Trunks, and he turned his head to look at Pan with narrowed eyes. "She looks nothing more than a commoner. What's so great about her?"

"She's my best friend," said Bulla, scooting her chair closer towards Pan, away from her brother. "Her name is Pan, and she'll be living with me for a while."

Pan shifted, feeling awkward under Prince Trunks' harsh gaze. "My name is Pan, Prince Trunks," she said, trying to keep her voice calm and as light as possible as she bowed her head. "It's nice to meet you."

"Yeah, well, I don't care," said Trunks venomously.

"Behave yourself," King Vegeta hissed. His order must've carried a lot of weight, because Prince Trunks glanced at his father in surprise before he reluctantly took a seat, glowering at the food that a servant (Pan didn't know this servant's name) had hastily put on his plate. "You will not disrespect a friend of Bulla's, Trunks. You are a prince, for crying out loud! Act like one!"

Trunks grumbled incoherently before he began to eat a few small bites.

"So Trunks, dear, where have you been?" asked Bulma after a few seconds of silence.

"None of your business," Trunks snapped. He downed a glass of water and held out the cup. "More water!" he barked; the flustered servant hurried over and poured the water. In her distress, though, she had spilt some on the ground—and, unfortunately, on Trunks' lap.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" she squeaked, her face red with embarrassment, but it was too late. Prince Trunks was up on his feet, glaring at the girl.

"How dare you spill water on me!" he shouted. "Get out of my sight before I throw you out of the room!"

The girl let opened her mouth in a silent scream before she dashed out of the room.

Pan at once got to her feet. "I'll clean it up," she offered, struggling to keep her tone calm and kind.

Trunks looked at her, his eyebrows furrowed. "Why would you do that?" he bit out, glaring at her.

"Well…not only am I Princess Bulla's best friend, but I'm also her servant," said Pan. "I told her that I would work whenever I could for her, and, well, I think this is a good opportunity." Without another word Pan reached for her napkin and hurried over to the floor, trying to soak up the water as fast as she could, and ignoring the three pairs of eyes that were locked onto her.

After she was confident that she had gotten rid of the water, she looked up at Trunks before she wordlessly handed him another towel. He yanked it roughly from her hands before she made her way back to Bulla's side.

"A servant?" Prince Trunks' tone was acidic. He looked at his younger sister in disbelief. "Your best friend is a _servant?_ Wow. Dad, you really should let Bulla out more, since it has come to this. Befriending a _maid?_ Really, Bulla?"

Bulla leapt to her feet. "At least I _have_ a friend! Unlike you, Trunks! No one likes you—even I don't like you as much as I used to! You have no friends at all, and yet you complain to me about _my_ taste of friends? You don't even have any!" she glared at him, and for a moment Pan could see the slight similarity between the two siblings; they both had the same scowl on their face when they were angry. "How dare you insult my friend, not only in front of her face, but in front of our parents! What's _wrong_ with you?!" she shrieked.

Pan felt immensely uncomfortable at that point. The dinner had started out so great; she had gotten along famously well with the king and queen, and she felt like she had gained their respect—or at least, she hoped so. But when Prince Trunks had entered the room, the whole atmosphere had changed. At that moment, she wanted very much to be back at her home, with her older brothers and her mother again.

She quickly put those thoughts away. She couldn't get homesick. Not right now.

"What's wrong with me?" repeated Trunks, and he chuckled humorlessly. "The real question is, why have you let a filthy peasant like this girl befriend you? She's beneath your social status, Bulla!"

"Oh, please," said Bulla, shaking her head angrily. "Do I look like someone who cares about such petty things?"

"Really," Trunks insisted, turning his icy gaze onto Pan. "She's nothing more than a commoner! What's so special about her?!"

"She's kind," Bulla said hotly. "She's one of the kindest people I've met. I don't care if she is poor or if she's not: This girl is my friend."

"You're a disgrace to our royal family," sneered Trunks.

At that moment Pan got to her feet. All of the family members turned their heads to look at her, and she felt as if they were all purposefully being quiet to watch her reaction to the sudden events.

Pan bowed her head at King Vegeta and Queen Bulma. "Thank you for allowing me to eat with you. Not once in my life had I ever attempted to imagine such a thing; I'm very glad I got to meet the two of you." She smiled sincerely at them. "The food was the best I've ever had—"

"—I'm sure it was," muttered Trunks under his breath lowly.

"—and I thank you for allowing me to eat with you so suddenly," Pan continued, and she straightened her back, before she turned to look at Trunks. He stared down at her with narrowed eyes, and quickly, before she lost confidence in herself, she bowed her head to him as well. "It was very nice to meet you, Prince Trunks. I'm sorry if my presence offended you. I will take my leave now. Please excuse me, Princess Bulla."

And with that, she stiffly began to walk towards the exit, ignoring the pitying looks the two guards gave her. As she took a step out of the room she heard the princess call for her to come back, but Pan pretended to not hear her. _Just this once, I will ignore Princess Bulla,_ she told herself, and she broke out into a run when she was positive that none of the family members could see her do so.

After rounding a few corners, she finally found herself standing outside Bulla's room. She flung the door wide open and didn't even bother to close it; she was so distraught with the way things had gone.

Deep down, Pan wanted to go on to bed and start to cry. That's what most people would do in her situation, after all. But instead, she looked around the princess's room. _Staying busy is the best way to avoid negative thoughts,_ she remembered. Distracting herself with cleaning had been something Pan had always done, much to her family's amusement. Even in the past, whenever she was angry with her brothers, she would end up cleaning even _their_ rooms in an attempt to focus on the positive instead of the negative.

Pan took a shaky breath and tried to steel her nerves before she began to straighten the clutter on Bulla's dresser, tidying up the area by organizing the bottles from tallest to shortest. She picked up some stray clothes, straightened the shoes, made Princess Bulla's closet a tad bit neater. After a while she realized that no longer did she feel the tears in her eyes; by going here and there around the princess's bedroom and cleaning up she had released some of her stressful emotions. She was just about to go ahead and fold Bulla's bed back so that it'd be ready for the princess when she heard footsteps approach the room.

"There you are!" said Bulla, panting heavily. Pan realized that the princess must have been running around, searching for her. "I looked everywhere for you!"

Pan stared at the princess in surprise before she said in a gentle tone, "Um…can't you sense me?"

"Your Ki is way too low," said Bulla, smiling tiredly. She looked spent after all her running, and Pan felt bad; she had continued to mask her true Ki's potential, not wanting the king to get any ideas of her heritage. After all, the rule was that no Saiyan could work as a servant for the royal family. "I apologize for not running right after you. I gave Trunks a piece of my mind after you left."

Pan looked up at Bulla, horrified. "Oh, you didn't need to do that for my sake!"

But Bulla waved her hands, dismissing Pan's worry. "Oh, Trunks will get over it. He's a big boy. To be honest, I think you made a good impression on him."

Pan stared at Bulla dubiously. _Was that an attempt of a joke?_

Bulla opened her mouth, about to say more, before her eyes suddenly narrowed. Pan flinched as she saw someone appear in the doorway. She certainly hadn't been expecting to see him so quickly.

"What are _you_ doing here?" snarked Bulla.

"I didn't come to see you," glowered Trunks. He shifted his gaze to Pan, and he stared at her for a few long seconds before he growled lowly, "Sorry."

Pan stared up at Trunks in surprise, and the two locked eyes for a long, hard moment before she finally whispered, "It's fine, Prince Trunks. You did nothing wrong."

An expression of what looked to be like confusion flickered over Trunks' face. Then, in an instant he had disappeared, having flash-stepped away.

As soon as he was gone Bulla hurried over to the door and locked it shut, even though they both knew that, if he really wanted to, Trunks could've easily kicked the door down. Somehow, though, Pan was confident that the young prince would've do such a thing.

"That was weird. My brother has never apologized to anyone before. Not even before he started being hateful all the time." Bulla let out a heavy breath before she walked over to her bed and threw herself on it, a tired expression on her face. Pan hesitated before she took a timid seat beside the princess. "Trunks has always found it hard to apologize to people. I'm really surprised that he apologized to you, though maybe he saw something in you that just made him feel bad."

"What?" said Pan, confused.

"You must have a gift, Pan," Bulla continued, as if Pan hadn't said anything. "Maybe your very innocence is what made Trunks apologize. Unlike most people would've, you hadn't gotten angry, nor did you scream out of fear. You handled yourself really well…until you ran away from us," she added, smiling comfortingly at Pan. "Don't worry. I'll make sure that we don't eat around Trunks again. We'll eat our meals in here from now on."

"But, um, wouldn't you rather eat with—with your parents?" stammered Pan.

Bulla shrugged her shoulders, her blue hair fanned out in spirals on her white pillow. Already Pan could tell that in the future Bulla would be a very beautiful woman. "My time with you is limited; meanwhile, I'm stuck with my parents forever. I think they won't mind me skipping a few meals with them." Her eyes twinkled, and Pan quirked a small smile in return.

"I wouldn't mind meeting your parents again," said Pan kindly, shifting her gaze away from Bulla. Instead, she took a sudden interest on her bare feet. "They seemed really nice."

"My mother is really curious about you, and I think you've gained my father's interest as well." Bulla looked up at Pan and offered an impish smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "After you left, Trunks stormed out of the room as well. Part of the reason why I was so late to catch up with you is because my father had a quick chat with Mom and me. Dad told us that, apparently, during that timeframe you were telling your story of how you became a servant, Trunks had been on the other side of the door, listening in on our conversation. With the Saiyan blood in us, we can hear at pretty far distances, you know. It's possible that Trunks could be listening to us right now, though I doubt he'd do that at this point." Bulla sighed. "I hadn't noticed Trunks, because he had masked his Ki really well. Even Dad had some difficulty in sensing him. In any case, Trunks had been listening to you talk about your life, and Dad thinks that Trunks is, well, fascinated by you."

Pan stared at Bulla.

"No," said Pan, shaking her head. "That's definitely not it."

"I don't know, Pan," said Bulla. "Maybe my brother was acting particularly hateful towards you as a means of 'testing' you?"

But Pan shook her head again. "No," she said. "I'm convinced that your brother merely hates me. Perhaps I should avoid him more, so that you won't have such heated arguments with him?"

Bulla stared at Pan in shock. "What? No!" she laughed. "Don't be so silly, Pan!"

"I feel bad for Trunks, though," said Pan after a moment. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her head on top of her knees, using them like a pillow. "He seems so…sad."

"Who knows?" said Bulla. "In any case, go ahead and rest up. Tomorrow I want to give you a tour of my favorite areas of the castle! Also, I have this area where I train. We could spar there, if you'd like."

"You know how to fight, too?" asked Pan.

Bulla nodded her head. "My father has taken no chances. He wants me to be in top-shape in case someone ever tries to attack me." She paused. "You know how to fight?"

Pan laughed dismissively. "Of course! My older brothers wanted to make sure I became a strong woman. Sparring with you would be a lot of fun, I think."

"Totally," agreed Bulla. She got to her feet and headed towards her bathroom, pausing in the doorway. "If you need anything, feel free to wake me up, okay?" she said, smiling at Pan.

For a short-lived moment, Pan felt like she really _did_ have a sister.

"Thank you," said Pan softly. "For everything."

Bulla smiled before she shut the bathroom door.

Pan yawned before she got to her feet and headed towards her room, pausing in the doorway as she stared at the bed that was much too big for her. She felt tears of happiness well up in her eyes; she was truly thankful that the princess had been so kind to her. Pan quickly put on her nightgown and clambered up into her bed, snuggling deeply into the thick blankets as she cocooned herself, embracing the warmth with a content sigh escaping her lips. It had been a long day, but somehow Pan knew that things would be all right.

_The sun always rises,_ she thought optimistically to herself before sleep overtook her.

* * *

**To Be Continued...**

**I'm really happy with the reviews I got! I appreciate the criticism and your thoughts in general, so please keep them coming!**

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**You guys are my motivation; please continue to review! (Or PM me, whichever). **

**Thank you for all of your reviews! I appreciate it!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Fourth Chapter Up! This one might be a bit shorter, as I'm going to be pretty busy this week. I just wanted to go ahead and give you all something to read. I might update later on this week, though, but I just wanted to go ahead and post this up just in case things get to hectic. The next one will be longer!**

**^_^ And now, my THANK YOUs to my reviewers!**

**ViridianSnow: THANK YOU for your review again! I really appreciated it! At first, I intended for Pan to be more headstrong and her feisty self, but somehow...it's like the characters have a mind of their own, if that makes sense. However, Pan will show her more spirited side as the story goes on! ^_^ And YES, I absolutely agree with you! I don't like it when the main protagonist wallows up in pity and all that! Thank you for your opinion, and I apologize that this chapter may seem a bit short. *Oh, and by the way, I really appreciated your insight on the Royal Family and how they should've acted more cautious; I will keep that in mind for future fanfics, so thank you!* ^_^ I think this is by far the shortest chapter I've had, and since I'll be busy later on this week I posted this chapter quickly, so I must apologize if this is a bit...short. The next one will be much better, though! I just figured that, in case I couldn't post another chapter this week, I should go ahead and work hard enough to post another one for you guys in case I get too busy. Thank you!**

**SonPanssj4: Thank you! Comments like that motivate me a lot; thank you! I hope you continue to like the story!**

**nite-fire: I'm REALLY glad you are enjoying it! I'm really glad that you could really picture them like that; I was hoping that it would be easy for people to imagine, so thank you! I appreciate your review; I hope you continue to enjoy the story!**

* * *

"_As though the season we fell in love_

_Just like the lovers of that one time_

_Everything will be lost_

_Everything will be forgotten _

_Without fail I'll come to be with you_

_The days which were spent in hatred and the nights_

_When I've suffered in despair_

_They've changed into the provisions which compose me…"_

Song: Cyclone

From: RomeoxJuliet

* * *

Pan's eyes fluttered open the next morning, the rays of light hitting her face as she sat up in bed. Not once in her life had she ever slept so well. The bed was by far the best she had ever slept in, and she felt grateful that she was so fortunate to be able to experience such a sleep. Briefly she wondered if she could ever afford to buy one for Chi-Chi before she got to her feet, stretching her arms up. She looked around the room; to her surprise, a simple red cheongsam was laying on her bed. Pan's eyes widened in apprehension when she noticed the long slit on either side of the dress, but then she saw that there were some black training pants beside the dress.

_Princess Bulla did mention that she wanted to spar with me,_ Pan thought as she picked up the oriental-looking dress, handling it carefully like she would with a newborn baby. _This outfit is perfect for movement. I must thank her as soon as I see her._

After getting dressed and putting her hair up in a simple high ponytail, she stepped outside of her room, expecting to see the princess in her room.

To Pan's surprise, though, Bulla was not. Pan tilted her head to the side in confusion, and for a moment she thought about spiking up her Ki and have it fan out in an effort to sense her friend out; however, out of fear that King Vegeta or Prince Trunks could sense her Ki, Pan refrained from doing so. If the princess was in any real danger, Pan knew with full confidence that the king would be at her side in an instant and destroy whoever it was that attacked her.

Deciding to wait for Bulla to come back, Pan walked over to the spirited girl's bed and began to pull the sheets up and make the bed, smoothing out any wrinkles she saw in the process until the bed looked absolutely perfect. Pan then walked around the room, picking up the nightgown Princess Bulla had thrown to the side and folding it neatly before laying it on top of Bulla's bed.

"Oh, you didn't have to clean up after me," Bulla's voice from behind her said. When Pan turned around, she noticed that the princess was carefully holding two large trays, both filled with food. "You were sleeping so soundly, so I figured that I'd go ahead and grab the food," explained Bulla with a large grin when she noticed Pan's expression.

"I could've gone and brought it for you," Pan said, bewildered. "I'm still your servant, after all!"

"Nonsense," said Bulla. "Now, let's just go ahead and sit on the floor and eat."

Pan quickly walked over to Bulla and grabbed one of the trays, carefully eyeing the young woman as the two of them sat down, hoping that neither of them would spill the delicious-smelling food. Pan let out a heavy breath of relief she hadn't been aware that she'd been holding, glad when nothing fell.

"I'm sorry, Princess Bulla," said Pan, lowering her head. "I feel like I'm separating you from your family."

Bulla, who was just about to take a bite of her toast, paused. "Eh? Of course you're not!" she laughed. "As I said last night, there is no need for you to worry about that. I spoke with my parents this morning, and both of them are completely fine with me eating with you. However, my father said that he'd like to see you more…probably just to get to know you better," she added quickly.

Pan's eyes widened. "The king wants to see me?"

"Not right away," Bulla quickly assured her with a smile. "But…well, you made a great impression on him, I'm positive about that. My father, unfortunately, has a tendency to be a bit overprotective. Don't worry or be intimidated by this, though; he only wants to get to know you better. My mother wants to get to know you better, too—she thinks you're absolutely kind."

Pan nodded her head. "That's a relief. Your mother seemed really kind, too, and I thought your father seemed nice. It's only natural for a father to be overprotective, so I respect that he'd want to keep more tabs on me. Especially since you're a princess," she added with a grin.

"What are your brothers like, anyway?" Bulla asked after she took a few bites of her toast, changing the topic. Today her long blue hair was pinned up in a bun, and her eyes seemed to radiate with liveliness. Even though she was dressed in a simple navy blue cheongsam herself, she still looked like a beauty. "You speak a lot more about your mother and father, but I don't know much about them. What are they like?"

Pan took a drink of some milk before she looked at the princess in surprise. "You want to know about my brothers?" she asked.

Princess Bulla nodded her head. "I want to know some childhood things about you, and what your relationship with your brothers were like."

"Um, okay," said Pan, her brow furrowing as she began to think of her brothers. A smile formed on her face as she pictured her brothers; she missed them dearly. "The oldest is Gohan, and he's older than me by eight years. Goten is three years older than me. Surprisingly, I'm equally close to both of them. Gohan joined the military first, and my brother soon followed after him." Pan purposefully avoided talking about what their ranks were in the military; only Saiyans had the privilege of having high ranks. Though it was common for those without any power to be join the army, Pan hoped fervently that King Vegeta wouldn't do a search on her family background.

The princess gave Pan a sympathetic look. "That must've been hard on you and your mother."

"It was. For two years it was just my mother and me. Even though I tried my best to help her out, I knew that she was feeling lonely. First my father, and now my brothers were out of the house. Hopefully my father will be able to return soon," Pan added softly. She gave the princess a small smile. "In any case, my brothers visit sometimes. They should be visiting in a few months, actually, and I look forward to seeing them. I haven't seen them in _months._ They are supposed to stay for two weeks, and I know that their visit will definitely cheer my mother up."

"Personality wise, what are your brothers like?" Bulla asked curiously.

Pan let out an unladylike snort. "To be honest, they're pigs."

Bulla's eyes widened before she let out a laugh full of mirth, causing Pan to smile along with her.

"But really, they are," Pan insisted. "It takes five plats to fill them both up! Their appetites are insane!"

Bulla cackled. "Sounds like my father and brother! They have never-ending stomachs, I tell you!"

Pan shrugged her shoulders, a coy smile on her face. "Must be a male thing, then."

"It must be," Bulla agreed, her face practically glowing. "I'm glad that we're already laughing together. I feel like I've known you for years instead of just a mere day!"

"I feel like we're sisters," agreed Pan with a grin. She was amazed that she could already begin to be herself around the princess—_Bulla,_ Pan mentally corrected, knowing that her self-proclaimed best friend wouldn't like it if she continued to address her by her heavy title. "I'm glad that I can be myself around you…Bulla."

"I'm glad I can be myself around you, too!" beamed Bulla. "Normally I don't talk as freely as I do right now with you. It's such a refreshing feeling."

Thirty minutes later, their stomachs full and smiles on their faces, the two girls got to their feet. Pan offered to go back to the Royal Kitchen and return the plates, but Bulla rejected her suggestion and said that another servant would probably come in and pick up after them. Pan felt slightly guilty, but immediately brightened when Bulla told her that she was going to give Pan a full tour of the castle—or at least, Bulla's favorite areas of the castle.

"And we can go ahead and check in with my father later on," said Bulla as Pan closed the door behind her. "He'd probably appreciate knowing you better."

"Right," said Pan, a timid smile crossing over her face as she thought about the gruff-looking king. She forced her voice to sound light as she said, "I would like to get to know him better, too."

They began to walk down the long hallway.

Bulla seemed to notice Pan's trepidation, and so she nudged her in the arm friendlily. "There is no need for you to be nervous, Pan. My older brother has gone off to who-knows-where doing who-knows-what, so there's no need to worry about bumping into him," she said, mistaking Pan's anxiety about her father finding out her heritage.

"Oh?" said Pan. "That's good, I suppose."

Bulla beamed before they came to a stop outside a large door. "In here is my father's study," she said, her voice lowering a few decibels. "Right now, my father should be inside. I need to check in with him before we walk around and explore; he doesn't like it when I'm out of his range of sensing. This is a perfect opportunity for you two to talk more, too."

Bulla gave a contagious smile of reassurance to Pan, and Pan couldn't help but smile back before Bulla knocked two times on the door, only for a booming voice to call out, "Enter!"

Pan steeled herself before the two girls went on inside the room.

As Pan had expected, the room was quite large, the walls curving so that it was a large circular office. Books were lined up on shelves that were probably four stories high, and Pan felt her eyes widen. Never had she seen so many books in one setting. There were no ladders nearby, which was understandable; King Vegeta probably flew up to any out-of-reach books when he needed them.

"What brings you two here so early in the morning?" the king asked, his hand hesitating over the paper that he had been writing on. His voice, as always, sounded somewhere between throaty and smooth.

"I'm going to give Pan a tour of the castle," said Bulla. "I thought that I should go ahead and check in with you before doing so."

King Vegeta glanced at Pan; she stiffened under her gaze, concentrating on keeping her Ki as low as possible. His eyes narrowed slightly, which caused her to feel like he was seeing right through her. "By any chance, do you know martial arts?" the king finally asked.

_Should I tell him?_ Pan wondered hurriedly, her heart thumping in her chest violently. She let out a deep breath and gave a tiny smile. "I do know how to fight," she admitted.

Bulla seemed to sense Pan's distress, because she wrapped an arm around Pan with a wide grin on her face. "She told me this last night, too! I think I'm going to have a new sparring partner, Dad! Last night I actually promised to take Pan to the sparring grounds, and spar with her later on this afternoon," Bulla told her father happily.

King Vegeta stared at Pan. "You know how to fight," he mused. "Who taught you?"

"Her two older brothers," Bulla answered for Pan, glancing sideways at her before her gaze returned back onto her father. "They roughhoused a lot as children."

The king's eyes did not leave Pan's face. "So your brothers taught you?" When Pan nodded her head as confirmation, the king cocked his head to the side slightly. "You look oddly familiar, Pan. What's your last n—"

But before the king could finish his sentence, the door burst open, and a young man rushed into the room. He looked tired, and judging from his clothes Pan guessed that he was a messenger.

"Bah! What is it this time?" demanded Vegeta, looking annoyed. "Another request from Governor Kazuo about his income? I swear, if I get another complaint from him about how his salary isn't enough, I'll make him sell his house and live on the streets!" he roared.

Pan's right eye twitched when the whole room shook because of the king's booming voice.

The messenger looked absolutely frightened. "It—it _is_ from Governor Kazuo," he managed to stutter out. "I'm not s-sure what he wants this t-time."

Bulla's hand lashed out and grabbed Pan's wrist, dragging her towards the door. "Bye! I'll see you later, okay?"

When they closed the door behind them, Pan, with her keen sense of hearing, could hear King Vegeta grumbling at the messenger angrily. She felt bad for the messenger; that boy needed a vacation for all the stress he probably dealt with.

"Governor Kazuo…isn't he the richest man in this area?" Pan asked Bulla when they had began to walk away.

Bulla nodded her head, a look of disdain etched on her face. "Yeah, after the royal family," she said. "He's been annoying since he came to the area. My parents keep a good eye on him, as they think he could be a possible enemy someday." She rolled her eyes as they rounded a corner of the castle. "He gives me the creeps, him and his son. Trust me, you wouldn't want to meet either of them."

"His son?" asked Pan curiously.

"Governor Kazuo and his son, Yuki. Yuki has this smile on his face all the time, and it creeps me out even more than his father, to be honest." Bulla shuddered delicately. "Yuki is our age, and he constantly tries to talk to me whenever he can. I don't like him, not one bit."

"I do not blame you," said Pan supportively. She had never really thought about it, but she supposed that even royal family members had many troubles to deal with all on their own.

Bulla sighed. "In any case, it doesn't matter."

Bulla showed Pan almost every nook and cranny of the palace, talking about the history of the architecture and what year the castle had been built. After a while, they came to a stop in front of a large metal door.

"This is that Gravity Room," Bulla explained. "It's usually where my father and I train. Trunks used to train here often, too, but that was a long time ago…" she trailed off before she shook her head and smiled. "Anyways, are you ready to spar?" An excited glint was in her eyes, and Pan nodded her head.

"Sure," said Pan, smiling.

And Bulla opened the door.

* * *

The Gravity Room was incredible. It was at least a hundred yards long and a hundred yards wide, and Pan felt like as though the breath had been taken from her. If Gohan or Goten were here, they would've been excited at seeing such a training room. It was more like an arena in Pan's eyes, and she let out a small gasp.

"Isn't it neat?" said Bulla proudly.

"I-It's amazing!" said Pan, looking at Bulla in delight. "This place is perfect!"

"Yep," said Bulla with a nod of her head. "I chose these cheongsams for the two of us because I thought it'd be perfect for sparring. Of course, this is an _athletic_ cheongsam, so it will be excellent for movement."

Pan nodded her head. Usually she would wear a simple tunic whenever she had sparred with her brothers in the past. It would be an adjustment for her to get used to wearing something like this, though it certainly wasn't uncomfortable or anything like that.

"Okay, let's start stretching first and warm up our muscles," Bulla said, leaning her arms over her head and leaning her body to one side before doing the same thing to the other. "We wouldn't want to pull anything," she said with a smile.

"Right," said Pan in agreement, and she began to stretch as well. When the two girls finally stopped stretching, they stood apart from each other, giving a good ten yards between each other. Pan knew that she would be at a disadvantage; she would be holding back her Ki, and be fighting like a regular human. Still, though, she knew that Bulla wouldn't intentionally hurt her. _Everything will be okay,_ she told herself.

The two girls stared at each other in anticipation, both watching each other closely.

And then, with a shout, Bulla ran towards Pan, who in turn ran towards her.

Neither of them noticed a pair of blue eyes staring at them.

* * *

**To Be Continued...Perhaps?**

**Yeah, I must admit I was a bit unsettled when I saw a review about how I was basically copying another fanfic. Believe me when I tell you that I'm DEFINITELY not. For a moment I really did worry that this story had too many similarities, and thought about taking it down. **

**Dear reviewers, if this story really IS too similar to Ice Prince, please let me know, because I really will take it down if that's the case. I hate the very thought of offending people, so...yeah. I couldn't stomach that graphicness..."M" rated things aren't my cup of tea, as I've said before. So please, let me know. I wouldn't want to offend anybody. **

**Basically, can someone read that for me and tell me if there really are too many similarities? If it really is, then I'll gladly take this story down and create a new one. No biggie. (And hopefully no other author has similarities with...haha). Apparently this Trunks from this fanfic acts too similar to the other one...I must admit, I was kind of basing this Trunks off of Tomoe from _Kamisama Hajimemashita._ *shrugs* Tomoe is a cool, rough-around-the-edges guy.**

**I recommend seeing that anime, too, by the way. ^_^**

**But thank you for everything! Your reviews made me so happy!**

**Haha...I wonder if this is how Suzanne Collins felt when she wrote The Hunger Games? A lot of critics got angry with her because they thought she was copying Battle Royale, which is the Japanese equivalent. **

**In any case, I totally wouldn't want to offend anybody. *shrugs* I'm totally fine with taking it down, so...**

**Just let me know.**

**Have a good day, everyone!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Wow. I was really, really happy when I saw that a lot of people wanted me to go on with the story! I'm still new to Fanfiction, so I was concerned at first...But now I'm not! The story shall continue! **

**And for those who don't like that...well, normally I'm not rude, but I'll make an exception by saying: Go away. Like seriously. *shrugs and grins like a sadistic person***

**ViridianSnow: Thank you for clearing up what "reporting" and all that means! You totally got rid of my worries, so thank you! As always, I appreciate your thoughts, and I thank you for motivating me when I felt a bit low. Thank you! :D **

**Cheerioss25: Thank you for your input! I will continue with the story! I'm glad that you like it so much to follow it! *beams and bows to you***

**NR: Thank you! What you said made me feel a lot better; I hope you continue to like it! This chapter's length might be a bit short, but the next one will be super long! I will be out of town soon, you see, so I wanted to quickly update so people will know that I'm not abandoning it! :D**

**Meemi: Thank you! :D**

**Lol girl. Lisa: Thank you! I will update weekly, sometimes twice a week if I have the time! Thank you for motivating me!**

**SonPanssj4: I will definitely keep it up! Thank you for liking this story! I appreciate it! *bows down***

**Saiyans rule: I'm glad that you like the story so far! ^_^**

**FoAteZombie: Dude, you really cheered me up. I broke out into a laugh when I saw what you wrote because it made me so happy! Thank you!**

**xxcandylover23xx: Thank you! **

**Dumdum: Thank you for your review earlier; I don't think I got to thank you for that. Better late than never, ne? :D**

* * *

"_In my life as a whole, what kind of person do you see me as?_

_Lately there's been something wrong with me_

_I blamed you for no real reason at all_

_Shocked, you ran away_

_Stupidly I mutter, "Sorry" and chase after you_

_What will be important to me in the future?_

_Without knowing it I hurt your feelings_

_Even if it's just a mistake, I want to go to tomorrow instead of today."_

-Song: Last Moment

From: Bleach, 25th Ending Theme

Pan's eyes widened as Bulla ran at her, her fist became merely inches away from Pan's face. Thinking quickly, Pan turned her head to the side to dodge the punch, instinctively raising her leg to block the roundhouse kick Bulla had aimed at her stomach. _She definitely knows what she is doing,_ Pan thought, panting slightly as she took a few steps away from Bulla, the two girls eyeing each other. _If I hadn't learned from my brothers, that kick would've been an instant knock-out for me!_

It was difficult for Pan to not raise her energy and thoroughly spar with Bulla. While she controlled her Ki rather well, Pan's strength was her only asset for the fight—and even her strength she would have to pay close attention to, in order to keep appearances. Pan would be fighting with a major handicap in a way she'd never tried before; without using any of her Saiyan genes, she would be extremely…weak.

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you," assured Bulla when she noticed Pan's expression. And then the blue-haired girl ran forwards again, her fists blurry as she aimed at Pan's chest. Pan was forced to raise her arms to block the onslaught of punches; she didn't even wince, though. All those years roughhousing with her brothers was paying off at that moment, and Pan inwardly thanked Gohan and Goten for their silly antics.

Finally Bulla paused her punches, and immediately Pan knew that the princess was about to send a kick at her. In that very moment, though, the princess left an opening. Struggling to keep a rein on her strength, Pan did a sidekick, her foot curved so that it resembled a "foot knife," as Gohan had always called it. At once it made a connection with Princess Bulla's solar plexus, sending the girl back a few steps.

Bulla looked startled, and for a brief second Pan was worried that she hadn't been able to control her strength. But then the other girl cracked a wide smile. "Wow! You're a lot better than I thought you'd be!" she said. "That is quite a lot of power you have in your kick, Pan. I see that your brothers trained you well."

And then, without another word, the princess ran at Pan once more. After a while, their fighting began to be more like dancing, neither of them wanting to back down, neither of them wanting to get hit. Bulla continued to send her insanely fast strikes and Pan, who was struggling to dodge them. As time went on, though, it was became harder and harder for Pan to control her Ki from flaring up on accident. If this fight continued, Pan would give herself away.

Pan had to stop this spar quickly. In this state she couldn't even dream of defeating the princess of all the Saiyans, so Pan came to one conclusion: She would have to lose.

Pan lowered her arms to stop blocking the volley of attacks, mentally preparing herself for a hit to the face.

But the hit never came.

Bulla's eyes widened in surprise before she abruptly shifted her fist to the side of Pan's head, using her momentum to _not_ hit the black-haired girl.

"Are you too tired to continue?" Bulla asked her, looking at Pan in concern.

"Y-Yes," said Pan, feeling bad for lying. Quickly she came up with an excuse. "A sharp stinging sensation went to my knee. It hurts when I move it. Would you mind if we sparred again some other time?"

"Sure," said Bulla, nodding her head with a smile. "It was fun going up against you. I've never gone against someone like you before. Good job today!"

"Tch. You need to work on your skills more, Bulla," a deep, masculine voice called out. Bulla and Pan whirled their heads around; Prince Trunks was standing not too far away from them, his hands stuffed deeply in his pockets as he leaned against the wall. He gave off a distinctly indifferent air about him, as if he was bored out of his mind and had absolutely nothing better to do.

He walked over towards them and stopped when he was a few feet away, staring down at the two girls. "It was obvious to me that Pan was holding back. She allowed herself to almost get hit," said Trunks, looking at Pan with narrowed eyes.

Pan's eyes widened in surprise. _Is he suspicious of me? Did my Ki flare up unintentionally? Oh, I hope he didn't realize.._. "That's not true. I wasn't holding back. Princess Bulla is extremely well-trained," she said, forcing her voice to remain steady so as to not show an inkling of the fear she was feeling. "I really was doing my best."

Trunks scrutinized her closely for a moment. He looked like he was about to say something, but then he let out a heavy breath and shifted his gaze back onto Bulla. "Your offense was good, but you need to work on your speed. A real assailant could dodge attacks like that with no problem." He shook his head. "You're such an amateur."

Bulla put her hands on her hips, glaring up at her older brother. "Oh, so now you're speaking to me?" She poked his chest—hard. "I'm so glad that the first conversation we have is about how _weak _I am!"

"I'm only trying to help! Be grateful I even gave you a few tips on what you need to work on."

"Yeah, right! Besides, I was _holding back!_ You are by far the most cynical, arrogant, pessimistic person I've ever met!"

"Oh, so this is the thanks I receive for trying to be _nice?_ I'm condemned if I'm a jerk and I'm condemned if I'm nice—what sort of little sister are you, _princess_?!"

As they bickered, Pan couldn't help but feel a slight wave of relief overcome her, thankful that Bulla was unknowingly distracting Trunks. As she watched the two argue, she couldn't help but have flashbacks of the way she and Gohan had sometimes been at odds with each other. Though she hadn't been lying when she told Bulla that she was equally close with both her brothers, Gohan was more of a father-figure in Pan's life. He was the oldest, and so he had taken on the responsibilities that a father normally would. He disciplined her, lectured to her, and would always comfort her whenever she was upset as only a father could.

Gohan would make a wonderful father someday, Pan knew.

Another wave of homesickness overcame her, tugging uncomfortably at her stomach. She missed her mother, and she missed her two older brothers as well. Though she knew she would definitely miss Princess Bulla, Pan was looking forward to returning home.

Suddenly Pan noticed that Bulla's arm was bleeding. _Oh no! Did my nails scratch her during our duel?_ Pan fretted. "Princess Bulla, your arm is injured," said Pan, interrupting the two siblings' quarrel.

"What?" Bulla looked down at her arm. "Oh, this? This is nothing, Pan. No need to worry." It was only a simple cut, and the blood wasn't pouring out or anything, but Pan still felt blameworthy.

Bulla let out a sigh as she glanced up at Trunks, who was staring down at them with an unfathomable expression. "Let's just go, Pan. Goodbye, brother-dear," the princess called, stomping angrily towards the door.

Pan took a step to follow her when Trunks voice sharply called out, "Hey!"

She flinched, worried that Trunks was still skeptical of her. She turned around and forced a smile on her face. "Yes, Prince Trunks?"

"I was…impressed with your spar. You did good. For a peasant," he added hastily, his eyes locking with hers. "But Bulla and you could both use some more work."

"Er, thank you," said Pan, bowing her head. "We will work on our techniques, sir."

But Trunks shook his head. He opened his mouth to say something, but Bulla returned, poking her head into the Gravity Room. Obviously, she had walked off thinking Pan was trailing behind her; the expression on her face was that of pure curiosity when she saw that Trunks was talking to Pan.

"Let's go, Pan," said Bulla, shooting a warning look directed at her older brother. "I'll go ahead and show you the gardens after we get some water."

"Wait," Trunks called out; Bulla and Pan paused, the princess looking irritated while the servant looked slightly apprehensive. Trunks hesitated. "Next time you two spar…tell me. I will help you hone in your skills."

Pan glanced at Bulla sideways; if she wasn't so wary of being in Prince Trunks' presence, she would've smiled at the flabbergasted expression on Bulla's face. Instead, she kept her face composed.

"Really?" asked Bulla, and Pan really did smile then; the hopefulness in the princess's voice was just too…_adorable._ Despite all the things Bulla complained about her brother, Pan knew without a doubt that Bulla, like any other person, only wanted her brother's warmth and love.

"Of course," said Trunks evenly. He turned his head so that he wouldn't look at them. "After seeing that display, you two could use all the help you can get. Think of it as my way of taking in a charity case."

Bulla beamed in happiness while Pan stiffened. _Charity case?_

"That would be lovely!" the princess exclaimed, her smile brightening. "Right, Pan?"

Pan, who was beginning to wonder if the royal family members had extreme mood swings (after all, the two siblings had practically been at each other's throats a moment ago, not to mention Trunks behavior for the past few years), immediately forced a smile as she bowed her head at Trunks. "Of course," she agreed. "That would be very helpful. Thank you."

"Great," said Trunks. The indifferent façade was back in place, and he turned his back to them. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to train in here by myself for a while."

Bulla nodded her head. "Let's go, Pan," she said, and Pan followed closely after the princess, shutting the door tightly behind her.

As soon as she turned around, Bulla let out a squeal of delight.

"Trunks hasn't acted that way in _years,_" said Bulla, a smile of pure euphoria adorning her face. "He's acted suddenly really out of character—I wonder why? Maybe it has something to do with you, after all," the princess mused, still smiling.

But Pan shot down the princess's thought immediately. "What? No. Definitely not. I'm sure he's been looking for an opportunity to speak with you, and he just never gets a chance."

"I don't know about that," said Bulla. "You saw how he acted the other day. He doesn't like change. Maybe he acted more, er, _refined_ today because he felt bad? He hasn't acted that calm in ages—usually he ignores me, you see."

_That's probably it,_ Pan thought. She nodded her head in agreement. "Perhaps," she said quietly. _Maybe…the young prince feels guilty and is trying to make amends?_ In any case, it would be a great thing for Bulla. The two siblings could finally spend some quality time together; Pan hoped that her presence wouldn't spoil it.

* * *

Four o'clock that afternoon found Pan sprawled out on the lush green grass in the gardens, a content smile on her face. Bulla had shown Pan practically everything in the castle, and Pan was exhausted from all the walking around they had done.

At that moment, Bulla was back inside the castle, as her father had summoned her. "Wait right here," the princess had told Pan. "I'll be back soon."

But Bulla hadn't returned for a good twenty minutes or so. Pan thought about going back within the castle and try to find the princess, but without the use of her Ki to sense the young woman Pan knew that trying to find Bulla within the castle would be like trying to find a needle in Goten's bedroom.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she yawned, her eyes closing as the gentle breeze caressed her face. It had been a long time since she got to be by herself. At first she had always been surrounded by the servants of the castle, and now she was always at Bulla's side. Though Pan loved the girl and truly viewed her as a sister, she couldn't help but be slightly relieved that she was alone, if only for a moment.

Her thoughts drifted to her mother. Undoubtedly the middle-aged woman was in her house, doing chores to keep herself busy—something that Pan had most likely inherited from her. Chi-Chi was a strong woman, so Pan knew that she wasn't angry with her for leaving. However, Chi-Chi was completely alone at their home at that moment, and Pan felt a wave of guilt wash over her. Chi-Chi, all alone. Was she sad? Lonely?

A heavy breath escaped Pan's lips. She would have to write a letter soon, to keep her mother updated, lest her mother worry herself sick or alert her two older brothers.

_Mother will have to endure just a little longer,_ Pan thought to herself. _She's a strong lady. She will be fine._

And then, before Pan even realized it happening, she began to slowly drift away into a quiet, peaceful slumber.

* * *

It was the sound of footsteps—footsteps much too heavy to belong to the petite princess—that stirred Pan awake from her sleep. The sun had gone down considerably, much to Pan's horror; judging from the sun, at least an hour or more had passed. She immediately sat up, only to hear someone chuckle.

"Well, I certainly didn't expect to see anyone out here."

Pan whirled her head around, her eyes wide in alarm. A young man, perhaps a few years older than her, was standing not too far from her. He had a wide smile on his face and a chin so narrow that he sort of reminded Pan of a fox. His hair was an ash-blonde color, his bangs long so that they went over his eyebrows slightly. The rest of his hair was tied in a long braid that went down his back. He looked completely calm and at ease, completely _innocent._

There was something frightening about this man, and Pan found it suddenly hard to swallow as he began to approach her, the smile still on his face.

"Who are you?" the man asked, coming to a stop just a foot away from her—a distance that was much too close in Pan's opinion. This man's very aura seemed to be choking her, and she scrambled back before she jumped to her feet. The man continued to leer at her, as if he didn't find her alarmed behavior worrisome at all. "Are you, by chance, a friend of the princess?" he asked, his smile becoming more and more menacing with each passing second in Pan's eyes.

She stared at the intimidating man. Pan wasn't sure why, but she felt such a wave of fear wash over her that it made her feel weak in the knees. This man absolutely _reeked _with killing intent, and she felt her mouth go dry. She couldn't speak or cry out for help.

And then a hand grabbed Pan's shoulder. She let out a small, barely audible gasp as she looked up to see who had come to her rescue. Her eyes widened.

Beside her was Prince Trunks, a scowl on his face.

"Yuki. Why are _you_ out here?" he snarled, moving closer so that he was blocking her from the other man's view.

And for the first time ever since she arrived, Pan felt safe.

* * *

**This chapter is a tad bit short, and I know I promised a longer one, but I am suddenly about to leave town for a while and won't be able to update for a bit. But! I will update as soon as possible next week. Next one will be much better: I'm going to introduce Governor Kazuo and his son, Yuki. Look forward to it! :D**

**Everyone...thank you so much for your support...you have no idea how much that cheered me up. I was seriously worried for a bit. So...THANK YOU! (Also this anime called Gintama cheered me up; it makes fun of Dragon Ball, Bleach, Naruto and so forth, so that made me happy as well).**

**THANK YOU EVERYONE! If I could, I would hug you all...so mentally I just hugged you, all right?**

**Sincerely, thank you!**

**Have a great day/week everyone! **

**-Laughing Princess**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey! As always, I will thank my lovely reviewers for this story! I honestly only expected _maybe_ about twenty reviews for the story total, as I hadn't really thought about this story much, but now I'm up to FORTY and I can't get over it! You guys are the best!**

**SonPanssj4: Thank you! When I saw your post "Stuff's about to go down" I couldn't help but smile at your enthusiasm! So thank you, for your enthusiasm!**

**FoAteAZombie: Haha! Thanks! And I've been trying to read it, yes! It is very funny! (I will try to work some humor here and there, but I think it will get more funny when Goten and Gohan make an appearance...which will probably be in a few chapters from now!) So thank you for your review!**

**Sarah: Thanks for your review! However, I wasn't comparing myself to Suzanne Collins; to compare myself to someone as talented as her would be an insult to her! If you read what I wrote again, you'll see that I was comparing my feelings to hers when she was being criticized. I wasn't at all comparing my writing style to hers. ^_^ I am but a mere high school student who is doing this for fun; please don't take it too seriously, for I am definitely not a pro at this. If anything, writing fan-fiction is like an escape for me. ****  
**

**nite-fire: Thank you! I might as well say it: Yuki is gonna be one pyscho of a person, as you can probably tell already! I'm glad it makes your day when I update; it makes MY day when I hear reviews like yours! I hope this chapter (it's much longer, too haha) will make you happy!**

**dianaloveanime: Thank you! I appreciate your review! :)**

**ViridianSnow: Thank you for liking it! I was trying my best to cool Trunks' personality a bit, but in a way to make it seem natural, so I'm glad you caught on to that and liked it! I don't think I addressed it much in this chapter later on, but yes, you are correct! Trunks is suspicious of Pan, but at the same time he's warming up to her. ^_^ I will try to address that later on in another chapter. :D And I completely agree! Characters like Yuki always make me anxious, too, but he will definitely "spice up" the story! I'm planning on have a more thorough introduction of Governor Kazuo soon, so I must apologize that he is merely spoken of in this chapter; he will make an appearance soon, though! Thank you for your wonderful review, as always! :D  
**

**Meemi: Don't worry, I won't take this story down! :D I'm very happy that you like this story so much; it made my day! I will update once a week regularly, but my real goal is to update twice a week if possible. I've been busy lately, but I definitely will post a chapter every week! Thank you; your review is very important to me as well! ^_^**

**NR: No worries, I saw both of your reviews, and I appreciated them both a lot! I'm very glad you like this story; I won't take it down, so no worries! ^_^ I'm glad that you think I write well! You have no idea how much that means to me, as I've had no real training in writing and stuff, so thank you! I hope you like how this story is played out, so thank you for your review!**

**Note: Everyone, this word will be mentioned in the story, so I'm going to go ahead and tell you what it means in English now so you won't be confused: *Haraguro is a type of person that is always smiling and polite and, basically, perfect on the outside, but on the inside they are absolutely cruel, clever, and rotten. Scary type of person, huh? :)**

* * *

"_Hiding in the light_

_You always seemed so sure and strong_

_But we were wrong_

_You were afraid of losing everything in your life_

_I want to hold you closer to my heart_

_I'll chase away all of your fears, tell you everything will be all right_

_Starting line_

_Together we'll rewrite this story_

_And to our tears we say goodbye, as we live for better futures in the sky_

_And in my heart, you're always close beside me."_

-Song: Starting Line

-From: Suzuka

* * *

"My, my, my," said Yuki, taking a small step back. "It is very nice to see you again, Prince Trunks."

"You should be inside with your father," Trunks replied, ignoring the smiling man's attempt at conversation. "The king himself sent me out to find you."

"Oh? I had no idea that my presence would be missed."

"Trust me when I say that your presence isn't missed. You are an outsider: You are not allowed in the Royal Gardens," said Trunks stiffly, his lips pressed tightly in a thin line. "Now get out of my sight."

Yuki tilted his head to the side, putting his hands up in front of him in a friendly manner. "Now, now. That isn't very nice. I volunteered to go with my father just so that I could visit you and the princess." He paused and looked behind Trunks and gestured with his hand towards Pan, who tensed up at once. "Who is this tiny mouse?"

"How should I know?" Trunks scoffed, narrowing his eyes. "She's just a simple servant."

"Just a servant?" Yuki peered closely at Pan. "Hm. Yes, she is quite plain. For a moment I wondered if you two were friends."

"Friends with a _servant?_ Is that an attempt of an insult?" sneered Trunks. The prince turned to glare at Pan. "Come. My sister is ill within her bedroom, and she needs to be tended to. I will take you to her room."

_Bulla is sick? Is that why she did not come back? _Pan thought in alarm. _I wonder what's wrong?_

"Oh? The princess is ill? I hope she will be able to make it to dinner tonight," Yuki mused, his eyes glittering with something akin to delight.

Pan opened her mouth, about to tell the young prince that he needn't escort her, but Prince Trunks shot her a warning look so fierce that her words died before they could leave her mouth.

Prince Trunks turned his scowl back on Yuki. "I'm sure my sister will be able to make it. What's it to you if she doesn't, though?" he growled.

An amused expression flickered over the ash-blonde man's face. "I'm merely concerned for the princess. That's all." He turned his head and locked his gaze over to Pan. "I'm sure the princess will be back to good health in no time, with such a lovely friend."

Pan stared at Yuki in surprise. _What game is he playing at with us?_

"Goodbye, my little mouse. I look forward to seeing you again," smirked Yuki; and, to Pan's horror, he grabbed her hand and kissed it.

Trunks grabbed Pan's wrist and yanked her away, shooting a dirty look at Yuki. Wordlessly Prince Trunks pulled Pan along with him, away from the amused man behind them. After Trunks released his grip when they were well-away from Yuki, Pan couldn't help but think about the strange man ash-blonde-haired man and his strange aura that had choked her with fear.

And for some reason, Pan could not shake the image of those violet-purple irises out of her mind. Never before had she met such a perfect definition of a *haraguro, and it worried her more than she'd like to admit.

* * *

"Falling asleep in the garden—how foolish can you get?" said Trunks, annoyed.

"I'm sorry," said Pan, keeping her head low. "The garden was just beautiful, and I was waiting on Bulla so—"

"Did I ask for excuses?" he snapped.

Pan felt her face go aflame in shame and she continued to look at the floor as they made their way through the labyrinth-like castle, heading towards the princess's room. They were quiet for a long time; not once did Pan even attempt to make eye contact with Prince Trunks. It was as clear as day to her that he was now in a bad mood again, and she did not want to evoke his anger upon herself.

They were not too far from Bulla's door when the prince suddenly came to a stop. Pan came to a stop as well, looking up cautiously at him as his eyes locked with hers. No longer did they seem as angry, but they were indistinguishable. Pan could not tell what the young prince was feeling, and she felt nervous.

Trunks grumbled. "Don't go near Yuki again. Not if you can help it." Pan's eyes widened. That was what he was concerned about? "He may seem innocent and act like a gentleman, but I can assure you that he is not what he seems. Both you and my sister need to avoid him. Got it?" his voice was curt, but at the same time Pan could see the worry in his eyes, though he did mask it quite well.

"Understood," Pan said, bowing her head lowly before she looked back up at him.

"Good," said Trunks, his voice gruff. "Later on there will be a dinner held for Governor Kazuo's arrival. Princess Bulla may come, but you may not. I don't want him to get any ideas about a servant being close to the family; it will make us look weak."

An unwanted feeling of being offended blossomed within Pan, but immediately she tried to quash it down with her own reasoning. _It's true. It would look very strange if a mere commoner was to eat with the Royal Family, _Pan thought_, _looking up at Prince Trunks.

"I understand," she said, nodding her head once.

Trunks eyed her for a moment before he turned around. "Good. Tell my sister that dinner starts in an hour. She must be there on time."

And without another word he walked away.

* * *

The very moment Pan opened the door, Bulla pulled Pan into a tight hug.

"Oh, Pan!" cried the princess. "I'm so sorry! I never got the chance to come back and get you!"

"It's all right, Bulla," assured Pan, returning the hug, realizing that the princess wasn't ill at all—Prince Trunks had merely used that as an excuse. She noticed the white bandage wrapped around Bulla's forearm, where she had accidentally scratched her earlier that day. "Did your father notice the wound?" she asked nervously, wondering if the king was perhaps angry with her for accidentally cutting the princess—even if the cut was small, the princess was still "daddy's little girl," and Pan did _not_ want the king to be upset with her.

Bulla smiled, noticing Pan's clear apprehension. "He did. He wasn't angry, so don't worry. But he _was_ rather curious about how you managed to land a simple wound on me. I told him that you are a very capable martial artist and that I was going easy on you, since you are not a Saiyan or anything. He didn't forbid us from sparring again, so I think he is fine with us sparring again in the future."

"That's great," said Pan, forcing a weak smile. Her heart was still thumping violently against her chest, recovering from all that fear she felt from around Yuki.

"I still feel guilty," admitted Bulla after a moment. "You see, the reason why my dad called for me is because he wanted to warn me about Governor Kazuo and his son's arrival. I was told to remain in my room until asked for. Luckily Trunks offered to go and get you for me…but what took you so long?" she asked, frowning.

Pan blinked. "What?"

"Trunks was supposed to get you almost two hours ago. Did he just now go get you?" asked Bulla.

"Well…I did fall asleep in the garden," Pan confessed. "And when I woke up, Yuki was coming towards me. I'm not sure what his intentions were, and he was quite frightening, but luckily for me your brother came up out of nowhere. Maybe he had seen me asleep earlier and had decided to let me rest for a bit, and then he had arrived just in time?" she wondered.

But Bulla shook her head at once. "No, my brother isn't _that_ kind. He would have definitely woken you up even if you were an old woman. He must have taken the lazy route and had arrived just in time."

Pan furrowed her brow but said nothing more. Perhaps Prince Trunks had merely arrived on coincidence, then? Somehow, though, that did not sit right with Pan.

"Prince Trunks told me to notify you that your presence will be needed at dinner tonight. It starts in one hour," informed Pan to the princess..

Bulla nodded before she turned around to look at her reflection in the mirror. "I'm very lucky that you will be there at dinner with me. I'm not sure what I would do if I didn't have you to support me, Pan. Governor Kazuo and Yuki give me the creeps," she said, turning her head over her shoulder to give a small smile.

Pan's eyes widened as she remembered what Prince Trunks had ordered her. "Princess Bulla, your brother ordered me to not go to the dinner." When Bulla merely looked at her, stunned, Pan quickly went on, "It really does make sense, though, doesn't it? Imagine what those two men would think if they saw a mere commoner like myself with all the royals? It wouldn't be good at all."

"Who cares what they think? I'm the princess of Vegeta-sei, so they should just respect m—"

"Prince Trunks probably said that for a reason," said Pan quietly. "I think we should just trust his judgment for now."

Bulla stared at Pan in surprise. "I suppose that's true," said Bulla after a brief pause. "My brother wouldn't care unless he thought it was important. For this first night, I suppose you can just stay in my room. I'll bring food by afterwards. Tomorrow, though, you are to eat with me. Perhaps I will be able to eat in our room again?" Her voice sounded hopeful.

"I would like that," Pan agreed. _There is no way I would be able to eat with Yuki—I can only imagine what his father is like._

Bulla nodded. "Tomorrow, if they order for my presence for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, I want you to come down with me. My brother might not like it, but technically I hold as much authority as he does." She shrugged her shoulders, a coy smile forming on her face. "I doubt he will mind _too_ much. Now, I suppose I should go on and get ready for dinner."

Pan went off and sat on a chair, watching as Bulla walked back and forth around the room, putting makeup on her face and taking her hair out of the intricate bun she had styled it in earlier that day for their spar. Her long blue locks cascaded down her back, all of the strands automatically curling at the ends, as if she had styled it. After a while Bulla finally got dressed in a simple forest-green dress, a tired expression on her face.

"I'll probably be held up for a few hours," Bulla warned Pan as she approached the door. "In the meantime, I suppose you can go through my books and read, if you want, or even sleep. I won't mind."

Pan reached for the door and opened it for Princess Bulla. "I might be asleep," she admitted. "Do you have a key to your room, so that you may unlock it?"

Bulla beamed at Pan. "Of course! And if worse comes to worst, I can just break down the door." She laughed, and Pan cracked a smile. Bulla took a step outside the room and waved farewell to Pan before she hurried down the hallway, disappearing out of sight.

Pan let out a heavy sigh and closed the door, locking it securely before she felt satisfied. With Yuki in the castle, she didn't feel safe; still, though, she was surrounded by Saiyans. She doubted that King Vegeta or Prince Trunks would allow someone as frightening as Yuki to attack someone like her.

Pan exhaled a deep breath and headed over to her room. Warily, and perhaps a bit paranoid (as she couldn't quite shake the feeling that someone was watching her), she locked her own bedroom door firmly before she turned to look at her room. She was not sleepy yet, as her nap had given her plenty of energy, and she wasn't sure if she could sleep in a room by herself with unwanted guests in the palace.

Pan walked over to her bed and threw herself on it, propping herself up so that she was sitting on the bed with her back leaning against the pillows. She reached over and turned on her lamp, which sent an extra amount of warm light into her room. Feeling a tad bit more safe than she had, she reached her hand over the side of the bed and pulled up her leather-brown satchel. She had been putting it off for a while, but she knew she needed to write and send a letter to Chi-Chi soon.

She was having difficulty, though, in writing the letter. Each attempt she would wrap up and crunch into a ball, tossing it to the side of her bed. She hadn't expected that writing a letter—especially to her own mother—would be so hard for her to do.

_Perhaps I really should go to sleep. _Already Pan's vision was blurry, and she let out a sigh of resignation. She would try to work on writing a letter the next day, when she wasn't so tired or afraid. With her thoughts constantly going to Yuki and Governor Kazuo, she knew that it would be impossible to write to her Chi-Chi.

Pan quickly got dressed in a simple white gown and climbed back into her bed, snuggling under the covers. Normally she would turn out the light to go to sleep, but she found that she was too scared to sleep without any lights on.

_I've become a coward,_ Pan thought lightly, trying to distract her thoughts. _I'm sure Bulla will arrive shortly, though._

* * *

Pan wasn't sure what time it was when she woke up, but it was still extremely dark outside her window. She blinked a few times, still sleepy, and was about to go back into her deep slumber when she heard what sounded like a door slamming.

Immediately Pan got to her feet, her poor heart thumping in her chest in alarm at the noise, and went over to her door. She paused before she unlocked it and quietly pushed the door open.

To her surprise, though, Princess Bulla was sleeping contently in her bed. The rise and fall of her breathing was easily seen by Pan, as the princess, too, kept her light on. Pan looked around the room, wondering if perhaps the loud noise that had been something of Bulla's that had fallen from a shelf. However, nothing was out of place.

Pan frowned, wondering if she had been hearing things in her half-asleep state. Things like that were common, after all. Still feeling a bit uneasy, she went to her room, though this time she kept the door unlocked in case the princess felt a need to get up and go to her in the night. Pan clambered back up into her bed and closed her eyes, struggling to go back to sleep.

Something wasn't right, and it had her heart continue to flutter in her chest until sleep finally rescued her from all the fear she was feeling.

* * *

Hours later, when the sun was peaking up over the horizon, Pan awoke to the sound of hushed whispers that sounded stressed. A line of worry etched itself on Pan's forehead as she got to her feet and, grabbing a nearby brown-colored robe and tugging it over herself tightly, walked out into Bulla's room.

Bulla was standing in the doorway, shock on her face. To Pan's surprise, it was Prince Trunks to whom the princess was speaking to. Pan was just about to go back into her room to give them privacy for their discussion when Trunks called out, "Oi, Pan. You should listen in on the news as well."

Pan flinched. What had happened? She walked over and stood beside Bulla, her ebony eyes locking with blue. "Did something bad happen?" she asked, her voice becoming quiet to match with the somber mood the two siblings emitted.

"One of the guards has found a dead body," Prince Trunks said, his voice flat. He looked tired, as if he had been awake since the crack of dawn. "You probably knew her, Pan. Did you know a woman with the name Julia?"

Pan's eyes widened. Julia? Julia, the Head Maid that had been so kind to her on her first day at the castle, was…dead?

Disbelief rang through Pan's mind, unable to accept that. How could Julia be dead?

"Julia...is gone?" whispered Pan in shock.

"She was cut down by a sword," Prince Trunks said, nodding his head; Bulla covered her mouth with her hands, an unhealthy shade of pallor overtaking her skin. "Someone had impaled her through the spine straight through her abdomen."

"Do you have any leads?" asked Pan, horrified.

Trunks scowled. "Not yet."

_Was it Yuki? That man who practically emitted killing intent from his very aura? That man who clearly has bloodlust? It was him, wasn't it?_ Thoughts whirled within Pan's mind, and she felt nauseas. Who else could it be, other than that terrifying man?

"In any case, the castle has been locked down. No one is allowed to enter or leave the castle for one week," Trunks said, folding his arms over his chest. "Governor Kazuo and Yuki are going to be with us during that time."

"What?" Bulla practically shrieked.

"Governor Kazuo was all but petrified when he heard the news. He is positive that an assassin is after him, and that Julia had merely gotten in the way. He thinks it is too convenient that someone gets killed when he arrives, and thus, Yuki and he are going to be stuck in the castle with us until the week is up. We are hoping to be able to catch the assailant by the end of the week."

"Why don't we just send those two greedy jerks back home?" demanded Bulla, putting her hands on her hips. "If they're the ones bringing trouble, then they should just leave!"

But Trunks shook his head, a scowl on his face. "Governor Kazuo is afraid that, should he return home at once, Yuki or himself will leave an even bigger opening to attack them. It doesn't make much sense to me, either, but that is what they want, and our parents are heeding to their wishes." Trunks sounded annoyed.

_It is way too convenient that Julia got killed when they arrived. Is King Vegeta and Queen Bulma really going to allow them to stay here? Why aren't they suspicious?_ Pan thought, and then she paused. _No. King Vegeta is much too wary of people to just trust those two—he doesn't like them, from what I have understood. And Queen Bulma is extremely intelligent. Are they…letting them stay here? To keep an eye on them?_

"In any case, if we don't find the culprit at the end of the week, we're going to kick Kazuo and Yuki out of here," Trunks said, taking a step back. "In the meantime, you two should probably stick close. Never be alone, you hear me?" He looked pointedly at Pan, and she felt a wave of embarrassment as she remembered how afraid she had been when she had been alone with Yuki.

Would she have been just like Julia, if Trunks hadn't come along back in the Royal Gardens? _Not that there is any proof that it was Yuki or Kazuo to begin with,_ Pan thought unhappily.

Bulla shut the door and locked it when Trunks left. She still looked more pale than usual, and she had dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn't slept well that night. "Pan, until the week is up, would you mind if I slept in your room from now on?" she asked, turning around to face her.

Pan nodded her head. "Of course." Even though keeping her job was extremely important to her, she would, without any hesitation, risk her identity as a half-Saiyan in order to fight to protect the princess if need be. _Now I understand why King Vegeta doesn't want any Saiyan-related servants. A Saiyan could easily kill one of the royal family members if they were too trusting. _

"The two of us should go on to breakfast soon," said Bulla as she brushed the tangles out of her hair. Her voice was barely above a whisper; the poor princess was probably still afraid.

"Right," Pan agreed, and she wasn't able to help the crack in her voice, as she was still too shaken. She still could not stop thinking about Julia—Julia, who had trusted her from the start, who had a booming laugh that was contagious, who had such a beautiful smile.

And now she was gone.

Trepidation filled Pan; it was going to be a very long week.

* * *

**To Be Continued... (Please read the whole thing I've written down below, because at the end I have a question for everyone).**

***Haraguro: A type of person who seems gentle and kind on the outside with a smiling mask, but on the inside is completely cruel, rotten, and clever. Basically, evil on the inside, calm and lovely on the outside.**

**You know, when I originally wrote this chapter, none of the things that happened in this one, happened in the previous one I wrote. It was supposed to be a LOT different, but somehow the end just...became what it is. I hadn't even planned on Julia, the Head Maid, _dying,_ but it just happened. More details will be in the next chapter later on this week or next week. :) Definitely a plot twist, eh?**

**I must apologize if this chapter seemed rushed...I've been quite busy, but I wanted to make everyone happy! ^_^ Why is it that I'm always in a hurry when I write? Haha! I tried to correct any grammatical errors and make the writing as flowing as possible, but I've been quite busy. I must apologize. *bows to the ground to everyone* I think this chapter might be the longest one I've had in a while, and I hope you've enjoyed it. I will get into more detail about Governor Kazuo in the next chapter, and there will be more conversations with Yuki. ****  
**

**Actually, I have a question for you guys, a vote rather. I'll count the amount of people who wants this and who doesn't, so no hard feelings to whoever loses the vote. ^_^ Would you guys like it if I switched to Trunks' POV and Bulla's POV? Or would you like it if I just stayed with Pan's? Once again, I'll do a count on the amount of people who want that or not.**

**I will update at least once a week. Twice a week is my goal, but, you know, life is busy, so...at least once a week I will update! :D**

**Have a great day/week everyone!**

**P.S. It seems I will be in a rush to be able to update once a week from now on, so please forgive me if the chapters seem...rushed. *looks at feet insecurely* Why must summer end so soon? **

**Tune in next time! **

**Thank you for your understanding, everyone! ^_^ **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! This chapter is REALLY long...I think. So I hope you enjoy it! It is primarily written in Trunks' POV, as requested, and to be honest, writing in his point of view is MUCH easier than Pan's. ^_^**

**nite-fire: Yes, the possibilities are endless! Hehe I hope this chapter pleases you! **

**nickyzas: Thank you for your input! (And writing Trunks' POV was so much fun; thank you for your opinion!)**

**FoAteAZombie: Aw thanks! I will definitely take a look at them when I get a chance! Definitely! Thank you! And there will be more Trunks/Pan moments soon, I assure you! :D Thank you! ^_^**

**Awesomegirl789: Thank you! I will try to update as soon as possible! Thank you! ;D**

**Meemi: Aww! I'm glad that made your day! School is about to start for me, and it won't surprise me if the first two weeks are going to be a bit busy for me, but there will ALWAYS be an update once a week, unless I get sick or something...Haha, even then I shall update! :D Also, thank you for you voting for Trunks' POV! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint! ^_^ Thanks!**

**Indianahuterson: Thank you for your vote! I hope you like this chapter! Thanks for the review! ;D **

**SweetenedSky: Thank you for your review! I'm glad you also voted for Trunks' POV; I was really hoping that everyone would want to see things from his perspective!**

**And to all the reviewers who have reviewed but it isn't popping up hehe: THANK YOU! I love your reviews, so thank you! Might be a little late when I read them, but I just hope I continue to make you all happy!**

**Note: Have you guys ever wondered what accent these words are being read in? Like me, I'm from America, so I have an American accent. Of course, there are many different American accents. Go figure hehe! *laughs* All right, enough rambling. Enjoy!**

* * *

"_Get out your guns_

_Battle's begun_

_Are you a saint or a sinner?_

_If love's a fight_

_Then I shall die_

_With my heart on a trigger_

_They say before you start a war_

_You better know what you're fighting for_

_Well baby you are all that I adore_

_If love is what you need_

_A soldier I will be_

_I'm an angel with a shotgun_

_Fighting till the war's won…"_

-Song: Angel with a Shotgun

By: The Cab

* * *

Two days had passed, and still Pan felt unnerved by the unsolved murder case. No one could think of anyone who would have a motive to hurt Julia, known as 'Julie' to her close friends. After all, Julia was a kind woman who had always worked very hard in the castle, and had been there for over ten years. The very thought that someone would target her, of all people, kept everyone completely surprised. During the timeframe of those two days, Pan had managed to avoid Yuki and Governor Kazuo as best as she could; it was a different story, though, for Princess Bulla and her older brother, as the two of them were summoned often to go eat with them. Luckily, the princess did not want to put Pan in such torture as to be in the same room with Yuki again.

Pan was currently walking alongside Bulla and Prince Trunks, though she kept herself just slightly behind them as the two siblings began to bicker. As usual, they were arguing, only this one seemed a lot more light-hearted than usual. It was over who would be able to eat the most, of all things, and it slightly amused Pan.

"—just jealous because I have a bigger gullet than you!" boasted Trunks.

"Gullet? Who uses that word anymore?" Bulla demanded, throwing her hair back over her shoulder in a huff. "You're saying that you have a longer _esophagus_ than I do? That's stupid!"

"Yeah, well, I think _you're_ stupid!"

"How dare you!" cried the princess, but her lips curved upwards in a small smile.

Pan couldn't help it: a laugh escaped her mouth, causing the two siblings to stop their banter and turn to look at her questioningly. "I'm sorry, sorry," said Pan, smiling. "It's just…you two…are really funny!" she burst out laughing again. "Sorry," she apologized once more. "I couldn't help myself…_gullet!_" And Pan was lost to another fit of giggles.

Trunks stiffened before he turned his head, hiding a small blush before they started to walk again.

"So, um, do you have any leads? With the murder case, I mean," said Pan to Trunks.

"Unfortunately, no. We can't find any traces of DNA, and although we have a few suspects that we're following all the time, none of them are showing any signs of suspicious behavior."

"Yuki is suspicious," said Bulla bluntly, and Pan inwardly agreed.

"Yuki has _always_ been a suspicious person to begin with. There has been no sudden out-of-character change within him, and so he will remain as a simple suspect that we, unluckily, are not taking very seriously. Personally, I don't trust him."

_You would have to have a few screws loose in your brain if you _did_ trust Yuki,_ Pan thought.

The three of them rounded a corner that led to a very long hallway, at which at the end there was a large door made out of a walnut tree. Wordlessly Trunks opened the door and waited for Pan and Bulla to enter first before he trailed on in after them, closing the door behind him.

"I don't think you've been here before, have you?" said Bulla, gesturing to the large room. "This is the Royal Library of Records."

Pan sucked in a breath in awe. The room was, like many other rooms in the castle, was larger than her house by far. This room would need five of Pan's houses to take up the space, and she whistled in amazement as she looked up at the ceiling. The ceiling was completely made out of windows, allowing natural light to seep in. There was a large black screen at the top of the ceiling, though, and Pan assumed that when nighttime came the servants would flip some switch that would make the screen cover the windows, so that no one could look in through the window-made ceiling.

"Why have you two brought me to this place?" asked Pan, looking over at the two siblings. "I definitely do _not_ have the rank to be in here. Should I go on out and wait by the door?"

"It's not like we're going to let you read important documents," said Prince Trunks, raising an eyebrow. "We're just going to go retrieve Governor Kazuo's records along with Yuki's. The king himself requested that we get them."

_So the King_ does_ suspect those two,_ thought Pan, relieved.

But then another thought hit Pan.

"Are my records in here, too?" she asked, her voice almost fearful. At the slip of her tone of voice Prince Trunks shot her an unreadable look.

"Of course," he said. "But we are not allowed to look at them without permission from the king, and our dad isn't allowed to look at just _anyone's_ records whenever he wants. There has to be an investigation of some sort going on."

"Don't worry," said Bulla with a smile. "Your records are safe."

"A-Ah, okay," said Pan, returning the smile. Mentally she was berating herself; now there was no doubt. Prince Trunks was suspicious of her. "Regardless, though, I should probably not be in here," she said, trying to sound normal again.

"Relax," said Prince Trunks. "You might be our friend, but we're still not going to let some peasant look at the records."

As he walked away, Pan's eyes widened in surprise. _Our_ friend? Prince Trunks considered her to be a friend? If he was suspicious of her, then it definitely wasn't as bad as she was fearing. If he considered her a friend of his, then she supposed that was a good thing.

"Okay," said Pan, following after Bulla and him.

The Royal Library of Records was like a labyrinth, Pan soon discovered. If it weren't for the fact that she stayed close to the royal siblings, she would have gotten lost multiple times. The shelves that held multiple folders and books and binders were over twenty feet tall. Finding the exit to the room would be almost impossible for the black-haired girl.

They finally came to a stop in front of a large shelf; without a word Prince Trunks' Ki expanded and he flew up to the top shelf, scrolling through them before he pulled out one book. Then he went to another shelf. After a few seconds he pulled out a second book and headed towards the two girls.

"Done," he announced when he got back onto the ground. "These are the records of Kazuo and Yuki."

In his hands were two thick books, and within those books were folders that were filled with stacks of papers as well.

"Those are pretty thick. Is that a bad thing?" asked Pan.

"No," said Bulla, shaking her head. "It's pretty normal, especially for noble families. Shows what laws they've passed, what they've vetoed, what they've supported and haven't supported. That sort of thing."

"Ah," Pan nodded. "I see."

Once again she followed Prince Trunks and Bulla closely as they exited the large room. When they stepped outside the door, Bulla suddenly took in a sharp breat, looking at Pan and Trunks in bewilderment. She looked so frightened that Pan felt her heart skip a beat.

"Bulla? Is something wrong?" she asked, her voice shaky.

But Bulla merely shook her head and groaned. "Oh dear! I almost forgot; Mother wanted to have tea with me today! We haven't had mother-daughter talk in a long time, and she ordered me to come by later on…" she trailed off and looked up at Prince Trunks with a worried expression. "I don't want Pan to have another run-in with Yuki or Governor Kazuo without someone with her. Could you escort her to our room?"

Pan stiffened. The princess's bedroom was at least twenty minutes away, as the castle was so large and all. She would have to endure a long silent walk with Prince Trunks for that long...Would she be able to make it?

Trunks frowned before he nodded his head in assent. "Very well. Go ahead, Bulla. I'll make sure Pan makes it there safely."

"Thank you," said Bulla with a small smile. She threw her arms around Pan and hugged her. "I'll see you later, okay?" she said as she pulled away.

"Okay. Have fun with Queen Bulma, Bulla," Pan said, smiling before Bulla powered up her Ki and sped off as quickly as she could fly.

An awkward pause ensued shortly after the princess flew away before Trunks suddenly turned on his heel and began to walk. Pan hesitated.

"Well? Are you coming or not?" barked Trunks, pausing to look at her. As always, his eyes were as blue and cold as the sky on a cold winter day. Somehow, though, they didn't seem unkind, but warm. Was he amused?

"Coming!" squeaked Pan, and she hurried after him, unable to decode Trunks' expression.

* * *

Trunks glanced at Pan out of the corner of his eye as the two of them walked side-by-side down the long hallway. The silence was suffocating, but it seemed as if Pan was fine with it, so he tried not to dwell on it too much. It amazed him how Pan's head came up just an inch below his shoulders—she truly was a small little creature, perhaps even a bit shorter than Bulla, and _definitely_ shorter than his mother. How was someone as frail as her able to do hard labor?

Though Bulla did not speak of Pan very much, Trunks had been keeping his eye on the two girls for a while. Although sometimes he couldn't deny that he had a strange gut-feeling regarding Pan, he could tell that she was an overall honest person that truly did like his sister, not for her royal status, but rather she liked Bulla as a person, as an equal. Occasionally, whenever the two girls weren't aware of his presence, he would watch Pan randomly freak out about how she wasn't "helping out enough" for the princess, and would go into OCD-mode and clean up whatever was in the capacity. And when she went into those times, Trunks would barely be able to hold back a grin.

Barely.

In his own way, Trunks was fond of Pan. Though he wouldn't dare say that to the commoner, he found her kindness interesting. Like a moth to a flame, he could not help but be curious about her, especially now since she had appeared slightly nervous at the thought of them going through her records.

_Perhaps Pan is hiding a dirty secret?_ Trunks wondered. _Is her background that bad? Surely the Head Maid had done a background check beforehand, though…before she died…_

"How have you liked your stay here at the castle so far?" he questioned suddenly, his voice coming out more gruff than he'd intended.

Pan jerked her head up in surprise. "M-My stay?" she repeated. When Trunks merely looked at her, as he did not like to repeat himself, she put a hand on the back of her neck and gave a timid grin. "Well, it's definitely a lot different from home. I like it here, though."

"I can imagine. Your home must be like the size of an ant compared to ours." _Darn, I didn't mean to sound so arrogant!_ Trunks mentally scolded himself. Why couldn't he start a decent conversation? It was this reason why he had avoided his family for so long—he was too pugnacious, and no one could stand him when he was like that. Heck, he couldn't stand _himself_ when he was like that. It was almost as if his body was on autopilot, and he winded up saying hurtful things. Even he didn't understand why he would sometimes get so angry at people.

"I suppose," said Pan kindly, smiling a little. "Though I would think any house in general would be the size of an ant compared to the palace." If his words offended her, she did not show it—something which Trunks was grateful for.

"Do you have siblings?"he pressed on.

"Yes, Prince Trunks. Two older brothers."

Trunks' brow furrowed in disappointment and came to a sudden stop. Pan came to a stop as well, looking up at him with a small frown on her face. "Is something wrong, Prince Trunks?"

"Don't call me that," he said, looking at her intensely. "You call my sister by her first name with no titles. You should do the same for me."

Pan's eyes widened. "What? But you're the Crown Prince!"

Trunks shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, well. I don't care. Bulla is the Crown Princess, right? You might be a commoner and a peasant, but…well, only you can call me by my first name. You will be the exception. Understand?" Somehow he had turned an offer of closeness into a sharp order, and he felt bad.

But he wouldn't show it.

"Okay, then," said Pan; she sounded a little nervous. "Trunks." She tested out the name. "As you wish, Trunks."

It felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off of Trunks' shoulders, and he couldn't stop the proud smirk that curved his lips upwards.

The two continued their pace towards the opposite end of the castle.

"I was surprised the other day. When I saw you spar with my sister," Trunks said, glancing at Pan. His keen eyes noticed how her shoulders seemed to stiffen when he said that. "I had pegged you wrong, it seems. I did not think a commoner like yourself would even know the basics of fighting. Your brothers trained you?"

"Yes," said Pan, her voice a near whisper. But then it got louder as she continued, "My older brothers wanted me to have good self-defense skills, especially for the time during their absence. They liked to roughhouse with me a lot, too." A small smile spread on her face. "They should be coming home soon for a visit. I look forward to seeing them again."

"What about your father?" asked Trunks. "Where is he?"

"I'm not very sure where he is," said Pan, her smile fading. "He left when I was very small. I haven't seen him at all for ten years now. It was Gohan, Goten, and my mother that raised me."

"I'm sorry to hear that. It must've been hard. What is your last name again?" asked Trunks, and although he appeared calm on the outside, his mind was racing incoherent thoughts.

Pan hesitated. She didn't look comfortable. "Son. My last name is Son."

"Ah," said Trunks, and at once his thoughts spiraled downwards in shock and surprise.

_Gohan Son?!_ Had Trunks been another man, his jaw would have dropped open. Everyone who was in the military, even Prince Trunks, knew who Gohan was, though Trunks did not know him personally; only through rumors and gossip had Trunks caught wind of the ambitious Saiyan colonel. Though Trunks wasn't entirely sure if Pan had mentioned this fact to King Vegeta that she was related to Gohan or had merely told him she had two older brothers, Trunks was positive that the king did not know that Pan was definitely half-Saiyan. If he had, Pan would've been kicked out already. Trunks was confident in that.

Gohan had the rank of Colonel, and was easily climbing up the ranks. One day, he would be a promising general for Vegeta-sei. He was well known throughout the military because he had won many battles, and had always shown such strong leadership skills and courage. The young Crown Prince himself had always wanted to spar against Gohan, for Gohan was known for being unstoppable by any opponent he'd ever faced. Eventually, King Vegeta, who did not really pay attention to the names of his military unless they carried the rank of a General or higher, would catch on to Pan's secret.

_And if she could manage to spar with Gohan…then she really was holding back with Bulla. I knew it!_ Trunks looked at Pan. She seemed to loosen up around him, now, more carefree at the moment. He wouldn't dare report her heritage to King Vegeta, though. Lately it seemed as if Bulla and himself had formed a stronger bond, with Pan being the glue of that bond. If she were whisked away, Trunks wasn't quite sure how things would turn out.

After all, it wasn't everyday when a commoner became friends with royalty and even gained the respect of King Vegeta and Queen Bulma. And Pan definitely did _not_ have ill-intentions. She had absolutely freaked out when she had seen the small drops of blood on Bulla's arm the other day after their spar.

"I can't wait for my brothers to come home, though," said Pan, interrupting Trunks' musings.

He furrowed his brow. "Will you leave when they return?"

Pan tilted her head to the side, placing her hands behind her back and clasping them together. Vaguely she gave Trunks the image of a young schoolgirl: innocent, unassuming, kind. "Of course I will leave," said Pan, no doubt in her tone. She looked up at Trunks and beamed. "Don't worry, though. I'll definitely come back!"

Trunks' eyes widened and he turned his head so that she wouldn't see his expression. "Who said I was worried, peasant?" he snarked. Once again, his voice came out harsher than he'd intended. When he braved himself a chance to look at Pan, though, he felt relieved to see that she only looked amused.

A small laugh escaped her. "Sorry, Prince Tr—I mean, sorry, Trunks." She caught herself before she smiled again. "I'll have to get used to that."

"How long do you plan on being here?" asked Trunks after a pause.

Pan looked surprised at his question. "Um…well, at first I had been thinking about a few months. Just enough so that I would earn enough money for the future. I worry about my mother often, and you never know when my family in general might needed it. She's full-blooded human, but I worry over her health…"

"Shouldn't you worry about yourself more?" grunted Trunks. _This girl definitely does _not_ have any ill-intentions._ She always worried about her family, it seemed. And then Trunks got an idea. "Are you not full-human yourself?" he asked, testing the waters.

The reaction was just as he had expected: The color drained out of Pan's face, and she looked absolutely startled. "I—I just wanted to make sure she stays healthy," she said, her voice sounding a little strained. "It's not like she's extremely sick or anything. Right now she's healthy, but I would rather be more prepared. In any case, I'm not sure how long I'll stay here."

Trunks nodded his head. "Well, you could always stay here forever," he said easily, and then his eyes widened. _Did I just say something strange?_

He looked at Pan, hoping she hadn't noticed, but she looked even more surprised than he felt. She paused for a moment before she opened her mouth, about to say something, when suddenly the two came to an abrupt stop.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't my lovely little mouse." Yuki stood before them, effectively blocking the way, his ash-blonde hair tied in a neat braid that went down his back. He was dressed in a simple white tunic with a brown belt and some black pants. As always, he looked regal and refreshed, much to Trunks' annoyance. Though the guy was a psycho, many girls seemed to like him. _Must be a bad-boy complex,_ Trunks always thought.

Pan, at least, didn't look impressed. If anything, she looked wary as she gave a polite bow. "Hello, Master Yuki," she whispered.

"Ah. 'Master Yuki.' That's a nice title to give me. Very cute, especially since it's coming from you," purred Yuki, and he reached forward, as if about to grab Pan's chin. Trunks' hand lashed out and grabbed Yuki's wrist before he could do so, glaring at Yuki as if he were an annoying grasshopper that would not stop getting in his way.

"Don't touch her," snarled Trunks. It was then that he realized that he still held the two files in his hands, the files that regarded Governor Kazuo and his son. Yuki glanced down at them, but he seemed to not think too much about it, as his eyes met Trunks' again.

"Oh, my. Once again I see that you are with her. Are you sure that you_ are not friends?_ Because you two look quite chummy. I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he said.

"It's none of your business as to what I am doing with my servant. Don't forget your place, Yuki," Trunks snarled.

Yuki nodded his head in agreement. As always, that sly, foxlike smile was on his face. _I need to wipe that grin off the cocky jerk's face!_

"I wouldn't dream of insulting you, Royal Crown Prince," said Yuki, giving a bow—a bow so low, it was almost mocking, what with the smirk that constantly adorned his face. He straightened his shoulders and looked at Pan. "I am merely envious that you get to keep such fine servants in your castle. None of the servants at my estate are pretty at all. If it is too much trouble for you, I could go ahead and escort the little mouse back to her little burrow."

"Th-That's okay," said Pan, speaking up. "I'd much rather go around with Prince Trunks. I wouldn't want to trouble you, Master Yuki."

Before Trunks could stop him, Yuki reached up and patted Pan's head. "Such a polite mouse." He relinquished his hand and met Trunks' glare with a knowing grin. "I suppose I will let you two go on, then, seeing as the little lady would rather have you accompany her. Not that I blame her; you _are_ a prince, after all." A loud chuckle emitted from his mouth; there was no mirth in it. He began to walk away, waving at them. "I suppose I will see you all tonight at dinner. I will _especially_ request the young Pan's company for dinner."

"Don't count on it," Trunks growled.

Fueled with anger, the Crown Prince grabbed Pan's thin wrist and tugged her along the corner until he no longer could sense Yuki with his Ki.

"Don't worry. Bulla and I won't let that man come near you. All right?" he said as he continued to tug her along. By now they were not very far from Bulla's room. After all, it was the only room that came from down this hallway and—

Trunks came to a sudden stop. "He was in your room. His scent...is all over this area."

Pan stared up at him in shock. "What?" At the thought of Yuki being in her room, Pan's face lost all color. Even her lips became more pale than usual.

Not that he was paying attention to her lips.

Making sure she was right behind him, Trunks approached the bedroom cautiously, pausing before he kicked the door open. Nothing in Bulla's room looked out of the ordinary, but Yuki's scent was faint in this room. It led all the way to another door, which Trunks assumed was Pan's room.

Without asking for permission from the girl beside him, Trunks flung the door open. Pan's room was large, though not as quite as big as Bulla's room, which was to be expected. Regardless, though, Yuki's scent was more evident in Pan's room than in Bulla's.

"I don't smell anything," said Pan uncertainly.

"Of course you don't. You're not a full Saiyan," said Trunks.

"But…forgive me, Trunks, but you are not fully Saiyan either," Pan countered.

"I'm able to go Super Saiyan. You can't. Therefore, I am much more powerful than you. It's probably why my sense of smell is better than yours, too." He couldn't quite keep the smugness out of his tone as they took a few more steps around.

"…True," said Pan grudgingly, much to Trunks' amusement. Had she tried in the past?

Deciding to confront Pan about her true heritage later on, Trunks followed the scent until he came to a stop beside the window. On the floor beside the window was a bag, undoubtedly carrying what little belongings Pan had brought with her.

"He went through your bag. Is there anything in there that is meant for women's eyes only?" asked Trunks, referring to the supplies women typically owned for their own private necessities; many a time had his younger sister attacked him when he was younger for seeing her monthly items in the bathroom or in her suitcase.

Pan blushed scarlet. "Er, no."

"Good." And without another word he lifted her bag and dumped out all the contents within, leaving it out on her bed for display. "Is there anything that looks out of place? Something that you don't recall owning?"

Pan looked at her bed, a wrinkle forming on her forehead as she concentrated. Everything on the bed looked like normal things: money, chap-stick, a little makeup, a few granola bars, a toothbrush and toothpaste. Simple things. Things that didn't look messed with at all.

"I think everything is in order," said Pan. "I don't see anything wrong. Do you think he might've put something in my toothpaste?"

Trunks frowned and grabbed the toothpaste. Twisting off the cap, he looked at it for a long hard moment before he sniffed it. He pulled back at once. "That was a good call on your part, Pan. I'm not entirely sure, but I think he put something in it. Not poison, but...a drug, maybe?" he took another whiff and blanched. "Whatever the case, it is strong."

Pan grimaced. "Ew. He tried to..._drug_ me? That's disgusting!" She was oddly being more outspoken, much to Trunks' delight. Was she opening up to him more? Under her breath, Pan muttered, "Master Yuki is a creeper...I should call him 'Master Creeper' from now on..."

"I'm not sure what kind he put in your toothpaste, but it smells off." Trunks furrowed his brow before he scowled. "I guess it can't be helped. We'll toss this one out. I'm sure other servants have toothpastes that you can borrow from."

"A-Ah, okay," agreed Pan, and she began to place her belongings back into her little bag, ignoring the toothpaste. "How did he get in my room? Bulla and I always lock the door when we leave."

"I'm not sure," said Trunks. "He probably used force." To his knowledge, Yuki wasn't a Saiyan, though. It was very odd that someone like him could even do such a thing.

Something did not smell right, and Trunks was uncomfortable. He would have to report this to his father.

He was going to leave Pan here at first, but that would be a dangerous thing. Yuki seemed to have a slight fascination with Pan that definitely did not bode well for anybody. Trunks would have to keep Pan and Bulla away from the foxlike man as much as possible.

"Instead of staying here by yourself, would you like to stay in my room?" asked Trunks. "You will definitely be safe there. I'll have four guards posted out there, to protect you."

Pan looked like she was going to decline, but at his fierce expression she paused. "Okay," she finally said. "Thank you, Trunks."

A sudden strange feeling blossomed within Trunks, and he frowned confusedly. _Am I beginning to be…fond of this peasant? No. Definitely not. I'm a prince; it won't be allowed, anyway._

_But then, there's always _that_ loophole…_

Trunks shook those thoughts out of his head. He would dwell on that in the future. Right now, keeping his little sister and her best friend safe was his main priority.

* * *

Pan felt somewhat frightened as she followed after Trunks, keeping close to his side. Though she knew Gohan and Goten would probably be annoyed with how fearful she had been acting lately, she couldn't help it. When Yuki had touched her head that day, she had been absolutely shocked at how his purple irises seemed to have a red tint to them, making him look even more malicious.

Gohan and Goten, though, would probably be furious with Pan to know that she was going to be sleeping in Prince Trunks' bedroom. Granted, she would be with Princess Bulla as well, and it wasn't like Trunks would do anything dishonorable. He might have a fearsome temper and a biting tongue, but he wasn't particularly hateful or anything. In fact, his mood seemed to be improving—Bulla had especially pointed that out.

"We're here," said Trunks, his voice yanking Pan back into reality. He opened the door for her, and Pan walked on in. She wasn't at all surprised when she saw how neat and large his room was. However, she _was_ surprised when she noticed how _little_ Trunks kept in his room. He didn't have as many belongings as Bulla did.

She hesitantly walked further in the room, putting comfortable space between Trunks and herself, waiting for more instructions.

"Though this is a large room, there aren't any extra rooms like what Bulla has for you. That's why I'm going to have some servants come in here and put in two extra beds." He gestured at the wide space. "There's more than enough, don't you think?"

And he was right. His room was approximately seventy yards long and fifty yards wide. He had more than enough space, especially since he had only a dresser with a mirror in the room along with a few shelves for books and a few lamps. The only real decoration he had were three swords lined up on the wall, tightly secured to it so that it wouldn't fall.

"Thank you, Trunks," said Pan, smiling. "Are you going to go find Bulla?"

Trunks nodded his head. "Yeah. I'll bring her here later. If anything goes wrong…well, you might be a _human" _he stressed the words, much to Pan's shock, "but there is still Ki in everyone. Try to flare it up if you're distressed. All right?"

Pan blinked a couple of times before she nodded. "Okay."

"Good. Well, I'll be back shortly. There are four guards nearby, and they won't let anyone come near you. Don't be afraid." Trunks gave her a long hard stare, as if trying to give his confidence to her, and Pan nodded her head, oddly feeling more comfortable now.

"I'll be waiting for you to return," she said, and instantly she felt as if she was blushing, for her face felt very hot._ I sound like a married woman sending off her samurai husband!_

Trunks smirked, as if reading her thoughts. "Good. See you soon." And with that, he turned on his heel and closed the door.

Pan went over to the only chair that was in the corner of the room and took a seat, a small frown on her face as she tried to soak in all the information she had learned that day.

_Yuki…tried to drug me._

_When I finally do manage to write that letter to Mom, I'm not going to mention this incident._

Pan took a sharp breath and let it out slowly. From now on, she would have to pay close attention to whatever she ate and stay close to Bulla and Trunks.

Especially Trunks.

Wondering why she was beginning to admire him so much, Pan leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

* * *

**I hope this chapter wasn't sloppy to everyone! School is about to start later on this week for me, and thus I will be busy. I apologize in advance, for my chapters might wind up being slightly rushed...though personally I think this one is now my favorite chapter. ^_^ I like how it turned out. I was in a rush this morning, so I tried to edit it as much as possible. Forgive me if there were some mistakes. *grins* **

**I will be busy next week and the week after, so I will try to update once or twice a week! **

**Thank you for your support, everyone!**

**I really can't wait to introduce Governor Kazuo. I was meaning to, but these characters have a life of their own. Even _I_ don't know what Governor Kazuo is going to be like yet! **

**Though Yuki is definitely a crazy son of a batch of cookies, I sort of hope he will be one of those villains that you would despise yet admire for being so crazy to begin with. Hahaha! **

**Have a great week, everyone! See you next week!**

**Or possibly later on this week...**

**Bye!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! Okay, so I know I said I'd update every week...well, from now on, expect it to be on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, or even Tuesdays. On one of those days I will try to update. It's almost impossible for me...only the first week of school, and already I've been overloaded with homework! :P**

**In any case, I will try to update. If I ever _do not_ update for a week, you can just assume that I'm sick or something. But I'll update as soon as I can!**

**Cheerioss25: I'm glad you loved the last chapter! To be honest, I still love that chapter even more than this one, as this one was REALLY rushed due to all the homework I had...forgive me if this one wasn't as good, but the next one should definitely be better! Thanks for your review: It made my day! :D**

**SonPanssj4: Whoa! I'm so jealous! Wow you're so lucky! :D First week and already I've been staying up late doing homework haha! ^_^ Thank you!**

**nite-fire: I'm glad you like it! And yes, Yuki is definitely creepy; he will only get more creepier as the chapters continue! :D Thanks for your review, as always! :D**

**dianaloveanime: Thank you! This chapter is rushed, as I've been working on SO MUCH homework, but the next one will be much better...I hope! Thank you for your review!**

**FoAteAZombie: Thank you! I plan on having other saiyans, possibly much later, or possibly sooner...I'm not quite sure yet, but they definitely will be! As for Broly, I want him to come up soon, though I fear he might be a bit OOC when he does appear...either way, I'm sure it'll turn out good when/if (most likely when) he does. :D Thanks for the review! And forgive me if this chapter isn't as good haha!**

**gaby2012: Thank you for your review! I'm glad you like it! :D**

**SweetenedSky: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it, though forgive me if this chapter might be a bit not as good as the others...I've been staying up late, and I seriously need an energy drink from all the homework load haha! Thank you for your review, and I hope you continue to like it!**

**Meemi: I'm glad I didn't disappoint! ^_^ This chapter, I hope, won't be bad, as I've been so overloaded with homework so it's hard for me to actually write decently...forgive me if this is rushed haha! :) I actually felt bad in particular about not updating quickly enough because of you, so I hope you'll forgive me for the delay. Thank you! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball.**

* * *

"_If the sky opened up for me_

_And the mountains disappeared_

_If the seas run dry, turn to dust_

_And the sun refused to rise_

_I would still find my way _

_By the light I see in your eyes_

_The world I know fades away_

_But if you stay…_

_In the love that we have shared before time_

_If the years take away every memory that I have_

_I would still know the way that would lead _

_Me back to your side…_

_One shining light will still remain_

_Just a love that we have made_

_Before time…"_

Song: A Love Before Time

From: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

* * *

Pan was exhausted, even though she'd had a fitful nap.

Currently she was sitting on the floor beside Bulla, braiding the blue-haired girl's hair, while Trunks was sitting on his bed, a frown on his face as he watched the two of them. As always, Pan was unable to understand what sort of expression was on Trunks' face, but he looked unsettled about something. _Most likely he's thinking about Yuki's attempt,_ Pan thought as she pulled out a ribbon and tied Bulla's hair. _If Yuki tried to do that to me, then there is a chance he might try to do it again, only to different people._

"Done," Pan announced as she tightened the bow at the end of Bulla's braid. Pan smiled. "You look lovely."

Bulla smiled brightly as she turned around to face Pan. "Really? I'm glad! Thank you for braiding my hair."

"It was nothing," said Pan with a shrug. "It's the least I can do. Lately I haven't even been cleaning around as much as I'm supposed to."

"After all this drama and fright and you're concerned about _cleaning?_" said Trunks in surprise. He shook his head. "You're a weird one."

Pan hesitated before she smiled and said dryly, "I try."

Trunks snorted.

"What does King Vegeta think about Yuki and Governor Kazuo?" asked Pan, knowing that Trunks had already delivered the documents to the king. "Does he think they are even more suspicious?"

"If he does, he hasn't talked to me about it yet," said Trunks quietly. "Tonight after dinner he will probably find a chance to speak with me about it."

"Ah," said Bulla. "Speaking of dinner, I think I'll just eat in your room, Trunks, with Pan."

"Impossible," said Trunks with a scowl. "Before I left after delivering the documents, Dad told me to tell the both of you that you are to come to dinner. Governor Kazuo has taken an interest in meeting Pan."

"What? Why?" asked Bulla.

"I think Yuki has taken a strange, weird obsession over Pan," said Trunks. "That, or he really just likes to get on my nerves. It would not surprise me if Yuki asked Governor Kazuo to have the king require Pan's presence tonight at dinner." He looked over at Pan and added sternly, "Don't you _dare_ accept any food or drink from that man, you hear me? That is an order from your future king." His voice left for no compromise, and Pan merely nodded her head.

"Very well," she said quietly.

"Also, do not go anywhere alone with him. This also applies to you, Bulla, as Yuki might be feigning interest in Pan while you are the main target. Both of you need to be on your guard around him, and try to never be alone with him or Kazuo without me there. Got it?" Trunks barked.

"Got it," said Bulla and Pan meekly at the same time.

Trunks heaved a heavy sigh, putting a hand through his hair. To Pan, he looked more haggard and weary than usual.

"Is something bothering you, Trunks?" Pan asked before she could shut her mouth.

"No," said Trunks, turning his steely gaze onto hers. His eyes softened. "I just can't wait for them to get out of here. This is what, the third day? Already I can't wait for those two to get out of here."

"Yeah," Bulla agreed. "Yuki and Kazuo have got to go. I can't stand being around them."

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. "Prince Trunks? Crown Prince, please, if Pan is in there, her presence is needed at once."

Trunks' eyes widened before they narrowed as he stomped over to the door, throwing it open. A petite, frail-looking woman, perhaps in her forties, stood before him, her eyes twitching from nervousness as he glowered down at her. Pan's heart went out to the woman; Trunks could be menacing when he wanted to be. Even now Pan thought Trunks was a tad bit frightening.

"Why do you want Pan?" Trunks demanded, leaning against the doorframe.

"It—it isn't me, Crown Prince," said the woman, her voice hushed. She bowed her head lowly. "It is…Queen Bulma who wants to see her."

"Mother? Mother wants to see Pan?" said Bulla in astonishment, turning her head to look at Pan. "But why would she want to see you?"

Pan got to her feet and slowly approached the door until she was standing beside Trunks. When he looked down at her, she couldn't help but feel incredibly small compared to him. "It's all right," she said. "I'm sure Queen Bulma has her reasons. It can't be anything too bad."

"I don't know," said Trunks dubiously, turning his gaze back onto the servant, his eyes hardening. "It isn't like Mother to have a servant summoned to her. I find this to be extremely strange."

"He's right," said Bulla, who had walked up to join them. "It's sort of weird, Pan. I'll go with you."

"The Queen strictly prohibited your presence, Princess Bulla," said the servant in an apologetic voice.

"But she didn't prohibit mine, right?" said Trunks. It amazed Pan that he could make a simple sentence like that sound like a threat. "Well?" he pressed on when the servant stared up at him in surprise.

"Er, no," the woman admitted. "She did not. I suppose she did not expect that you two would be close." She hesitated. "Right this way, then, Pan…and you too, Crown Prince." And with that she turned on her heel and began to walk off.

Pan exchanged a confused look with Trunks before she hurried on after the woman, Trunks on her heels.

When they arrived outside the door, the woman turned to look back at Pan. "The Queen is inside, waiting for you." Then she turned to look at Trunks, give a polite low bow, and hurriedly walked away.

Trunks took the lead, opening the door and allowing Pan to walk in first. She took a couple of steps further inside the dimly-lit room when suddenly she felt a hand grab her shoulder, making her her widen in surprise as her eyes locked with familiar blue ones.

"I did not expect you to be the one to escort Miss Pan," Queen Bulma said. "What are you doing here, Trunks?"

The Queen clapped her hands; at once the lights in the room brightened and sprung to life, illuminating everything else around it, giving Pan an opportunity to really take in the room.

Like all rooms, this one was quite big. Unlike all rooms, though, this one seemed very simple and quaint. The only pieces of furniture in the room were bookshelves, a large window where a loveseat and a lamp stood beside, and a large chandelier that was currently the main source of light in the room.

Pan didn't understand why the queen would choose to meet her in such a simple room, but she wasn't complaining. If anything, this room seemed to have a calming effect on her. Briefly Pan wondered if perhaps that was the queen's intention, though she quickly brushed that thought aside.

"I thought it was weird that you, of all people, would call for Pan," said Trunks, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned against the wall. "I thought that maybe the servant was lying."

"Oh?" Queen Bulma looked amused, which unsettled Pan. When the Queen's gaze landed on Pan, the black-haired girl's shoulders tensed. "Well, then. I know that Trunks will not leave no matter what I do, so we will have to speak in front of him. Is that all right with you?"

"Of course, Queen Bulma," said Pan in agreement, bowing her head lowly. "What is it that you wanted to speak with me about?"

"I wanted to talk to you about Yuki and Kazuo," said the Queen, her smile fading from her porcelain-like face. "I don't trust Yuki and, well…I was hoping you would agree to be his personal servant and spy on him for me for the remainder of his time here. He will only be staying for, what, five or four more days?"

Pan sucked in a sharp breath in surprise.

"What?!" Trunks bellowed, and he immediately was standing in front of Pan, glaring at his mother. "How could you even think of something like that? Don't you know what a guy like him would do to her? He would eliminate her, just as he did the Head Maid!"

Queen Bulma took a small step back and lifted her hands up in a peaceful gesture. "Now, now," she said reproachfully. "We are not yet sure that Yuki or Kazuo are the cause of—"

"Oh, come on! Mother, you can't tell me that you don't suspect them in the slightest, right?"

Bulma lowered her hands to her sides. "There is no proof," she said simply. "Even though I find it strange, as your father does, there is no proof." She turned her head and looked at Pan. "Now, will you do it? Will you be a spy for me, Pan?"

Pan stared at the Queen in shock before she glanced over at Trunks, who was staring at her with an expression so intense that it was almost impossible to see the clear meaning in his eyes: _Don't you dare accept it._

"I'm sorry, Queen Bulma," said Pan, bowing her head lowly. "I do not feel safe around Yuki, and I would not like to be anywhere near him. Forgive me."

Queen Bulma let out a heavy sigh. "Oh, it's quite all right. I didn't really think you would accept, anyway," she said, sounding slightly disappointed. "Although I can't help but wonder if your answer would have been different if my son wasn't around?"

Pan felt her face go aflame. "It wouldn't have mattered to me whether he had approved or not, Queen Bulma."

The Queen laughed lightly. "Of course not," she said, smiling. She turned to face Prince Trunks. "Dinner will start in two hours. As you already know, Bulla and Pan's presence has been asked for by Governor Kazuo. I don't think Pan has met him yet, correct?"

"And why should she?" Trunks said, sounding irritated. "Kazuo is a good-for-nothing leech who merely wants more power and money. If anything, we should keep my sister and Pan away from him."

"But we still must be careful," said Queen Bulla softly. "He has many high-ranking allies. They would gladly dispose of us if given a solid reason. We must be very careful with these two."

Pan found it odd that the Royal Family had to be wary of two people in the government, but she made no comment on it. As she observed the Queen, she noticed the tired appearance, the dark circles under the Queen's eyes, the way her eyes seemed slightly bloodshot from staying up late. Even though she was by far one of the safest women on the planet with her husband and son to protect her, there was little doubt Pan had that the Queen was undeniably afraid of something.

Was Governor Kazuo and Yuki really that frightening?

Queen Bulma walked over to the door and held it open. "Go on back to Bulla, Pan," she said, sounding tired. "I will discuss some important issues with the Crown Prince."

"Wait," said Trunks, glancing over at Pan with a frown on his face. "She shouldn't be wandering around on her own. It isn't safe for her."

"I'm sure Pan can handle herself," the Queen sighed. She smiled kindly at Pan. "Go on. I'm sure you will be fine. Bulla isn't that far from here, right?"

"O-Of course," said Pan, and she bowed lowly. When she straightened, she offered a weak smile at Trunks. "I'll see you later, okay? Bye, Trunks." And with that, she walked out of the room, wincing slightly when the Queen closed the door quite loudly behind her. She couldn't help but worry that Queen Bulma was irritated with her decision of not following Yuki around, but surely the older woman understood; Yuki reeked with such malevolence it was almost suffocating. There was no way anyone would be able to handle such an assignment.

Pan walked down the hallways, mulling over her troubling thoughts.

* * *

Trunks folded his arms anxiously over his chest, his thoughts whirling around his mind as he fanned out his Ki, making sure that Pan's Ki was still fluctuating normally. When he found that it remained calm, he slightly relaxed the tension in his shoulders as he scowled at his mother. "Why would you even _think_ about sending her as a spy on Yuki?" he demanded.

Bulma shrugged her shoulders. "Pan seems to have a hidden talent of getting even the stubbornest of people to befriend her. I thought that maybe she would have luck in figuring out Governor Kazuo's intentions through Yuki."

"So you would risk the life of a servant and a dear friend of mine?" Trunks' voice was brittle.

"Ah," said Bulma, her eyes lighting up in a way that made Trunks instantly uncomfortable. A coy smile played on his mother's lips, and Trunks cringed; nothing good ever came from an expression like that. "So you admit that Pan _is_ a friend of yours? I noticed earlier when she addressed you by your name so informally. She didn't even grant you the title that someone of her status is supposed to call you. Also, you hadn't exploded with rage when she had done that, so I'm assuming that you told her to call you by your first name, right? After all, I highly doubt that she is the type to be so rebellious," she mused, her smile widening.

"It is nothing," Trunks said. "We are merely friends. I have come to respect her greatly."

"Right," said Bulma, nodding her head, a sardonic air about her. "Of course."

Trunks was getting annoyed with the idle chat. "Why did you want to talk to me alone?" he pressed.

"Oh...nothing really. I just wanted to confirm something, and now I have." She still had that smile on her face, and Trunks couldn't help but be uncomfortably reminded of Yuki at that moment. The Queen waved her hand. "You are now dismissed. Go find Pan, and make sure she makes it safely back to Bulla's room. Remember, dinner will start soon."

* * *

"You've got a letter," Bulla announced when Pan entered Trunks' bedroom. In the princess's hand was a crisply sealed, creamy-white envelope. "A messenger came by while you and Trunks were gone. I didn't open it," Bulla assured her when Pan grabbed it. "Who is it from?"

Pan took in a deep breath and felt her heart skip a beat. "It's from my mother," she said in surprise. Elatedly, she ripped the envelope open and began to read the contents.

_My Dearest Pan,_

_How are you doing? You hadn't written to me yet, and I became concerned. I reckoned that I ought to tell you that your brothers will be arriving next week on Tuesday, and will be expecting you. If you can, you should take some time off from the castle soon. I won't tell them about your job at the castle, but I worry that they will find out regardless. Gohan and Goten probably will make you quit if they find out, and, since you've stayed for two weeks and haven't yet left, I'm assuming that you're enjoying it there._

_Your older brothers can be quite reckless, but they have their reasons. After all, you're their little sister. Of course they adore you. So maybe it would be best to keep it a secret, eh? _

_Gohan told me that they would be staying a bit longer than we had originally thought. Gohan and Goten will stay with us for three whole weeks. Won't that be wonderful? And Gohan is even thinking about quitting his job and doing something more simple, like training people how to do martial arts. Goten is all for it as well. Soon we will be a family again, though that might take a few more months...or even weeks? Gohan isn't sure when they will quit, but he thinks it will be soon. _

_They've asked me why you haven't written to them. I think you should write to them soon._

_Have you made many friends? Are you __healthy? Are you happy?_

_Remember that you can return whenever you wish. I still do not understand where this sudden desire to work came from, but please know that you can return whenever you want, and that I love you and miss you. _

_Lots of Love,_

_Momma_

Pan stared at the letter, her eyes watery as she stared at the last two lines of the letter. She had been so selfish. There had been many times when she could've written a letter to Chi-Chi, but she never got around to it. Just what sort of daughter was she?

She was a little surprised, and unnerved, though, with the information her mother had given her. When her two brothers returned, they would definitely force her to quit working at the castle. They had little restraint when it came to their anger, and she knew that they would gladly storm the castle without a second thought and take her away. And, of course, she wouldn't be able to put up a fight.

But it wouldn't come down to that. Pan already knew that she would have to quit her job eventually. It looked like she would have to quit pretty soon, though.

First it was Yuki, and now her brothers were coming in a few days? On the bright side, she would be away from Yuki...

Pan's eyes lifted up and she took in Bulla's appearance. The young princess was sitting on the edge of the bed, a book in her lap as she was holding the pages. Undoubtedly she was curious about what the letter said, because Pan noticed how Bulla's eyes were not even moving, not following any words from the book at all.

"It was from my mother," Pan told her after a moment. "She said my brothers will return soon. And she wants me to come back...most likely, I have but a few weeks until I will have to quit my job here, for Gohan nor Goten will allow it."

"What?" said Bulla in shock. "You're planning to leave?"

"I probably should," said Pan. "I'm going to leave after this week. I will quit my job permanently and return home soon. In five days, I shall resign and return home." _At least I won't have to conceal my Saiyan identity._

"But I don't want you to leave," Bulla said, tears appearing in her eyes suddenly. "If you go, I won't have anyone to talk to besides my brother, and I can't exactly talk to him about _everything, _you know?"

"I'll have to go," said Pan ruefully. "If I don't, Gohan will turn the castle upside down and Goten will whisk me away. I don't want them to get in trouble."

"I'm sure they couldn't do _that_ much damage," said Bulla dismissively, her expression quite depressed-looking.

Pan hesitated before she groaned. "I've been keeping a secret from you for a long time, Bulla. And since I'm about to leave, I might as well tell you."

Bulla tilted her head. "A secret? Well, what is it?"

Pan hesitated. "Bulla, I'm...I'm half-saiyan."

Bulla stared at Pan in surprise, but she didn't look angry. She opened her mouth, about to say something, but was cut off by the door opening, slamming loudly when it hit the wall. Standing in the doorway was Trunks, and he looked as if he had been running. When his eyes went over Bulla and Pan, taking in their appearance and seeing that they were safe, he straightened his back. He closed the door behind him and turned to face them, but when he saw Bulla's watery eyes and the letter that Pan held limply in her hand, his eyes narrowed.

"What's going on?" he said roughly. "Why are you two upset?"

"Pan's leaving in five days," Bulla said, upset. "I don't want her to go."

"You're leaving?" Trunks said, his eyes wide. "Look, if it's about what my mother said back there, you don't have to worry about it. She won't make you do it."

"Do what?" Bulla asked, but her question was ignored.

"It's not that," said Pan, shaking her head. "It's got nothing to do with what your mother asked of me. It's just...there is no need for me to work anymore. My brothers are returning, and they wouldn't like it if they found out that I was working here. They would probably get very angry with me, and I'd rather not go through that. So I probably should leave now."

In a movement so fast, Trunks suddenly had the letter from Chi-Chi in his hands, his eyes scanning over the words quickly, much to Pan's chagrin. But then his icy-blue eyes met hers, and she could see that he was angry with her.

"Do you really think that they would be able to take you away from us?" he said, smiling sardonically. "You forget that I'm stronger. Even though your brothers are half-saiyan, I could definitely beat them."

Pan's eyes widened. "How did you know that they are half-saiyan?"

"Your brother, Gohan, is well-known. I know all about him. I didn't know he had a younger sister, though. I figured it out not too long ago, actually, but that's not the point. If they have any qualms with you working here, then they have me to face. I won't let you go," Trunks growled.

Pan's eyes widened.

"Oh, my," Bulla said, putting a hand over her mouth. "Trunks, do you...don't tell me you have _feelings_ for Pan, do you?" She looked over at Pan, who was blushing so badly that she resembled a red rose of the reddest color. When Trunks said nothing, Bulla put her arms akimbo. "Well?" she said, her eyes searching his. "Do you?"

Trunks ignored her and focused on Pan instead. "As the Crown Prince, I order you to remain here at the castle. Gohan and Goten are invited to come here and speak with me. You are to not leave, though. Not for this sort of reason."

"This sort of reason?" said Pan in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"You're wanting to leave because your family has always told you what to do. Your older brothers are protective of you, and I can understand that," said Trunks evenly, glancing at Bulla for a moment. "But you're not a little kid anymore, Pan. You are allowed to resign from here when you _really_ want to. Not because of what your brothers think, or what your mother thinks, or what anyone thinks. Until you yourself wants to quit, you may quit. Answer me truthfully: Do you really want to leave?" he asked, his eyes searching hers intently.

Pan swallowed thickly. She did not like being put on the spot like this.

"I would like it if I were to stay here," she allowed herself to say truthfully. "But I'm not sure if I should."

"Stay here, then. Your brothers will understand. Since Yuki is still here, it would probably be best if you did leave on Sunday. Yuki should be leaving on Saturday, so he will never know where you live or anything like that." Trunks paused, tilting his head to the side in deep contemplation before he nodded. "You can stay with your family for a week or less, if you want. But you must return. Understand?"

Pan's thumbs twiddled together before she nodded her head. "Very well. As you wish, Trunks."

Bulla glanced at the two of them before she smiled brightly and clapped her hands. "Well, now that that's all set, how about you and I go prepare for dinner, Pan? We can't go down there wearing _this."_ She gestured at the simple clothing they were wearing, and Pan chuckled.

"I'll leave you two alone for now," said Trunks, heading over towards the door. He paused in the doorway and turned to look at them. "Dinner starts soon. I'll be there waiting."

Pan felt her heart thump against her chest nervously as Trunks stared at her deeply before he turned and exited the room. _Why do I feel so nervous around him?_ she wondered, perplexed.

Remembering that she had told Bulla that she was half-saiyan, Pan turned to look at Bulla. "I'm sorry for deceiving you this whole time," she said, bowing her head lowly.

Bulla shook her head. "It's nothing. If you hadn't, we would've never met, and I'd be all alone still. So, consider yourself forgiven and completely fine."

Pan smiled. She was lucky to have such a great, forgiving friend. There weren't many people like that anymore, and Pan was glad that she had found one to consider a friend.

Pan sighed, knowing that they would have to get ready for the dinner soon. She glanced at herself in the mirror and ran a hand through her long hair before she glanced at Bulla. "Do you think you could put my hair in a braid for me as well?" she asked, glancing at the long braid that she had neatly done with Bulla's hair. It would be a good look on herself as well, Pan figured.

The young princess beamed at her. "Of course!"

And as Bulla began to separate Pan's hair into three sections and began to do a simple braid, Pan couldn't help but wonder what Governor Kazuo and Yuki would be like tonight at the dinner.

* * *

**Ah...I apologize, everyone. I've been so overloaded with homework, writing a decent chapter was hard. Just writing this took me maybe...six days? I don't have any time anymore, but I will continue. If you read above, you will see the days that I will try to update from now on. :)**

**Forgive me if this chapter was boring and rushed, but the next one will be MUUUCH better, as Kazuo will be there, and we will find out something interesting about Kazuo's relationship with Yuki. :) **

**Also, there will be more interaction with Pan and Trunks. :)**

**Once again, sorry if this was rushed, but the next one will be much better, I assure you. :D**

**Note: For some reason, I always feel a tad bit insecure whenever I update a new chapter...I can't help but worry that I'll lose my readers. Silly, right? Haha, but I will definitely work harder on the next chapter. **

**See you then!**

**-Laughing Princess**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone! Yeah, sorry about the wait. I'm a high-school student, you know, so...grades are pretty important to me...**

**I apologize. :)**

**Regardless, though, you know the drill; I will update sometime every week, unless I get sick or something. So thank you for your patience!**

**You know, even though this is the ninth chapter (9 is my least favorite number, by the way; it's unlucky for me), I feel like this story is progressing pretty well. ^^**

**I don't really have time to thank all my reviewers individually in this round, but next time I will; please know that I appreciate all of the reviews, and usually will address them!**

**Your reviews, even if a simple sentence, cheers me up. Thank you.  
**

**Enjoy!**

**(Note: The lyrics I mention in this chapter is actually pretty nice; if you like Japanese music, then I think you would like this. Listen to the first full minute, at least, if you do like Japanese music ^^).**

**(Once again, this was in a rush; I will thank all the reviewers individually next chapter). Thank you!**

* * *

"_The place where I belong_

_Doesn't exist anywhere_

"_Let's go home together"_

_My hand is pulled_

_I don't know, I don't know, I don't know anything_

_Neither the kindness after a scolding _

_Nor the warmth after rain_

_But really, really, really it's really cold_

_Even though I wasn't supposed to talk to you_

"_I wish I could know your name"_

_I'm sorry_

_I have no name…"_

Song: 6 Trillion Years and One Night

(Note: Rearranged slightly).

* * *

The dining hall was alit brightly, and Pan's eyes widened. Last time she had been there, it had seemed much smaller than it was now.

At the far end of the room was the table, which looked much longer now to serve more guests, Pan assumed. King Vegeta was not yet there, but Queen Bulma was sitting down, an empty plate before her. As Pan's eyes scanned the table, she noticed that Trunks was sitting directly in front of where the Queen sat. It seemed that Yuki nor his father was there yet, and Pan was greatly relieved to not have to see him so suddenly.

The princess and the servant were both wearing matching dresses, each one a dark red color, and it went all the way down to their ankles. When Pan was living with Chi-Chi and her two brothers, she had never worn dresses very much; usually she wore a simple tunic and pants. However, she was relieved that the dress she wore was very modest.

As the two girls approached the table, Pan fought a blush as Trunks looked up at her with a small smile on his face, though Pan noticed the tension he was practically emitting from himself.

Hoping that his anxiety wouldn't be contagious, she took a seat beside him while Bulla sat on her right side.

"Hello, dear," said Queen Bulma, nodding her head. "You look lovely. It has been a long time since we last ate with each other…it was your first week here when I last ate with you, wasn't it?" Smiling, she looked at Trunks. "I'm _so_ glad to see that Trunks had made a new friend. I was beginning to worry that he would wind up being antisocial like his father." She laughed merrily, and Pan cracked a smile as Trunks rolled his eyes.

"Mother. Please." Trunks put a hand on his forehead, rubbing his temples tiredly. "Not now."

"Oh, relax," laughed Bulla, reaching her hand out to grab a cup of water. "Mother's only trying to keep things light."

Suddenly Pan sensed a strong Ki entering the room, and she turned her head. Walking into the room was King Vegeta, a scowl on his face. To Pan's surprise, it was Yuki and—she was supposing—his father on either side of him. As usual, Yuki wore that smile on his face that reminded her so much of a fox. His father, on the other hand, looked completely different.

Governor Kazuo had a black beard and tan skin, and was about the same height as his son, perhaps a tad bit shorter. He looked completely different compared to Yuki, who was a healthy shade of pale and with ash-blonde hair, but there was a slight air about the governor that Pan didn't like. Power, arrogance, and maliciousness seemed to radiate off of the older man; now Pan knew where Yuki had inherited it from, only Yuki seemed to be even more dangerous, in her opinion.

King Vegeta made his way and sat down beside his wife, glaring pointedly at Kazuo and Yuki.

Kazuo turned to look at Bulla before he looked back at Yuki. "Go sit beside the princess, son," he ordered.

Yuki nodded. "As you wish." As he approached Bulla, he glanced at Pan and winked.

The black-haired girl felt a wave of disgust roll through her, and she focused on putting some food onto her plate.

As Kazuo took a seat beside Queen Bulma—King Vegeta's hand visibly twitched, as if reaching for his knife, much to Pan's amusement—the black-bearded man's eyes looked up and saw Pan for the first time.

His eyes glittered. "Who is that lovely woman?" he inquired, glancing at Queen Bulma. "Is she the Crown Prince's betrothed?"

"No," said King Vegeta shortly. "She is not."

There was no further explanation, ensuing an awkward silence at the table. Governor Kazuo, however, did not look disappointed in the slightest. He locked his eyes back onto Pan and offered what he probably thought a kind smile, though in reality it looked more like a leer an old man would give to a young girl in her twenties.

_Pervert,_ Pan couldn't help but think.

"Well, then, I take it that you are not married?" Kazuo said.

"She is not," said Queen Bulma helpfully; her smile seemed to be directed at Trunks, though.

"Interesting, said Kazuo vaguely, and a smirk played at his lips. "What is your name?"

"Her name is Pan," Trunks said stiffly, answering for her.

"Ah," said Kazuo. "Such a nice name. But doesn't your name literally mean _bread?_" He chuckled. "Where are you from?"

Pan reached for a napkin and settled it on her lap; underneath the table, she was clasping her hands, squeezing them as she began to feel uncomfortable underneath the strange man's gaze. "I'm from around here."

"She's our guest," interjected Bulla, her tone taking a snarky air that Pan had only heard in Trunks' voice. At that moment, Bulla looked very much like the daughter of King Vegeta, as she wore a slight scowl on her face. "She's my best friend."

Kazuo nodded his head before he turned his attention back to King Vegeta and Queen Bulma. As he began to talk about the economy and what they planned to do and other dull things of the sort, Yuki turned his attention onto the other two royals and Pan.

"So," said Yuki. "It has been a while since I last saw you, Bulla. Pan." He glanced at Trunks. "Surely you were not hiding them from me, were you?"

"So what if I was?" snapped Trunks, a challenge in his tone.

Yuki shrugged his shoulders, that ever-present smile on his face. Pan wanted very much at the moment to wipe it off with her fist, but she remained quiet as he made eye-contact with her. "Are you feeling well these days, Pan? You look quite paler than usual."

Pan swallowed thickly. "I am fine."

"That's nice." Yuki smiled. "You know, I would like to talk to you soon, one-on-one. There is something I'd like to ask of you."

"Anything you have to say can surely be said in front of Prince Trunks and Princess Bulla," said Pan softly, making sure to call her two friends by their appropriate titles.

Yuki tilted his head to the side, but he said nothing else. He merely nodded. "Perhaps it would be best if I waited. I should probably make you warm up to me first, no? I wouldn't want my little mouse to be afraid of me, after all," he purred.

Trunks' grip on his silverware was so tight, his knuckles were white. Pan wasn't sure why Yuki's words were angering Trunks so much, but she felt comforted to know that Trunks and Bulla were there with her. If she were to ever be alone with Yuki…

She shuddered at the thought. It would not be a pleasing experience, that was for certain.

It was selfish of her, Pan knew, to cling to Trunks and Bulla whenever Yuki was nearby. She was half-saiyan, for crying out loud! A martial artist! Even though Yuki was probably a saiyan himself, Pan knew that she could probably stand up to him. Even if he was the culprit of the murder—lately she hadn't heard anything about it, and so she assumed that everyone within the castle gave up—Pan knew that Gohan and Goten's training would kick in, and she would definitely be able to kick Yuki's butt.

Feeling empowered by the thoughts of her former feisty self when she lived with her small family, she narrowed her eyes at Yuki and said, "I do not like it when you call me a 'little mouse.' It irritates me. Please stop."

Bulla sucked in a deep breath; Trunks stared at her in surprise.

But Pan paid no heed to them. Her eyes were locked with Yuki's, and although he was still smiling, she could sense the surprise—and amusement—radiating off of him.

"I had no idea that my little pet name for you was so offensive," said Yuki. Had he been another man, Pan would have probably thought him sincere. As it was, he seemed too mischievous to be taken seriously, and Pan merely continued to stare at him. "If it makes you happier, I shall start calling you Pan, then. Is that better?"

_I'd rather you not talk to me at all,_ Pan thought, annoyed. But she plastered on a tight smile that anyone with a brain could see was fake and forced, and she said, "That would be much nicer."

After a few moments of silence and eating, Kazuo cleared his throat. "The dinner was excellent. Thank you for your hospitality, King Vegeta." He glanced at Queen Bulma and smiled. "And especially for yours, Queen Bulma. You have been a most excellent conversationalist."

"I try," said Queen Bulma with a laugh so fake it made Bulla tug on Pan's arm and make a gagging expression. On Pan's other side, Trunks rolled his eyes. "It has been nice having more guests visit. You and your son are very kind."

"Ah, my boy is quite handsome, isn't he?" said Kazuo, taking her compliment much further than expected. "Many girls swoon after him, but he has yet to be smitten with any of them. He is quite picky."

"And yet he always tries to go after my daughter," growled King Vegeta in a low voice.

Either Kazuo hadn't heard the king say that, or he was just ignoring him, for he went on: "Yuki is quite athletic. I must admit, when he was a young boy I was concerned that he would not be able to be on par with a Saiyan, as he himself is not one."

This caught Pan's attention. "He isn't? But aren't you, sir?"

Kazuo chortled merrily. "Of course I am a Saiyan! Yuki is my _adopted_ son, though. He proved to be quite powerful on his own, as he can easily spar with a Saiyan and not be bested…by most, anyway," he added, looking at King Vegeta and Trunks pointedly, as if worried about offending them. He shrugged his shoulders. "Regardless, my son is strong enough to be on par with a Saiyan, I am sure."

"And how could that be?" said King Vegeta, sounding bemused. He rolled his eyes. "No offense, but your brat probably wouldn't fare too well with my son."

There was an slight tone of pride that filled the king's voice; clearly, he had no doubts in his son's ability.

Kazuo smiled in a secretive sort of way. "Perhaps someday Yuki will be able to prove it all to you."

"On thereabouts," said King Vegeta without breaking a sweat at the clear threat in Kazuo's words. Without uttering another sentence, he grabbed his chalice, drank from it, and then got to his feet. "I must go off. I must say, having you two in the castle has been very interesting. It is a shame that tomorrow night will be your last. You leave Saturday, correct?"

Kazuo blinked before he nodded his head, surprised. "Why, yes. I suppose we do."

"Good. I'm sick of having guests all the time." The king's eyes went over to Yuki, before they landed on Pan. At once Pan felt uncomfortable, though she had a feeling that King Vegeta wasn't referring to her.

She hoped not, anyway.

"I shall retire for the night. See ya." And with that, the king stomped off. Feeling awkward, Queen Bulma jumped to her feet as well.

"But, my dear, you barely touched your food!" she called out. Sighing, she turned to look at Kazuo and Yuki. "I should probably be on my way as well," she said, looking uncomfortable to be around the governor. "At this point, I'm sure you and your son know your way to your rooms?"

Kazuo smirked. "Of course, milady."

"Then I shall be off." And the queen disappeared as soon as she finished her sentence, quickly chasing after her husband.

Pan cleared her throat. When Princess Bulla got to her feet as well, Pan followed and stood closely behind her as she kept some distance between herself and Yuki.

"Well, well, well," said Yuki to Bulla. "Such a shame that I will only get to see such a lovely face tomorrow, and then after that I must leave." He glanced at Pan and nodded. "I will miss your face as well, my lovely little mouse."

Irritation swelling up within her, Pan bristled before she forced a smile on her face and nodded. "It was nice to meet you, too, Master Yuki."

Prince Trunks stood and pushed his chair to the side. "We should be leaving now," he said gruffly. "I will escort the two girls to their room."

As Pan and Bulla began to approach the Crown Prince, Yuki chuckled. "Oh? I was under the impression that the two lovely ladies were staying in your room."

Trunks scowled. "And what made you think this?" he said arrogantly, even though Pan and Bulla really did stay in his room.

Pan wasn't sure if she would be able to sleep in her room for a while, even with Yuki gone. It was unsettling to think of how easily he had broken into her room and had messed with her items, even going as far as to mess with personal objects. Regardless, Pan looked forward to Yuki leaving; surely she would be able to sleep again.

"Trunks," said Bulla, putting a hand on her older brother's arm. "We should go." She turned her head and forced a weak smile on her face as she made eye-contact with the foxlike man. "We should be going now, Yuki. We will see you tomorrow."

Yuki bowed low, so low that it looked almost mockingly. "You most certainly will," he leered, and Bulla's left eye twitched before she whirled around.

She grabbed Pan's arm and dragged her away. "We'll head out first, Trunks!" she called out.

"Right," said Trunks, looking at Yuki warily. "I'll be there in a moment."

Pan cast a fleeting look at Trunks before she began to catch up in her stride with Bulla's, heading towards Trunks' room, where Bulla would take the extra bed and Pan would take the futon on the ground.

For the rest of her life, she doubted she would ever be able to forget the foxlike man's impish grin.

* * *

"I'm glad you're leaving," Trunks said bluntly once the two girls were out of earshot. "I've never liked you, and if you even try to touch a single strand of hair on either Bulla's head or Pan's, I will end you. Understand?"

"My, my, my," said Yuki with a smirk; it seemed that, since his father had crept silently out of the room after the queen had left, he was being more snarky than usual. "Aren't you in a rather pissy mood?"

Trunks clenched his jaw at the word Yuki had used. "Remember who you are speaking to, filthy leech," he snarled.

Yuki blinked. "It seems to me," he said rather slowly, "that you are always threatening me. Fine. I can understand sibling love. I shan't touch a single strand of hair on your sister."

Trunks narrowed his eye. "Or Pan," he ordered.

"Now, that's interesting. Isn't she a peasant? I think I should be able to befriend her, if I want to. Indeed, she isn't related to you at all. She shows no signs of being as infatuated with you as you obviously are with her, so why don't you just give her up?"

The very thought of Pan falling for a creep like this fox made Trunks want to vomit. "No," he said coldly. "I won't allow it. She is a dear friend of my sister's and of mine. If you even harm her, it is as if you are harming my own family." He took a threatening step forward. "Just try it."

Yuki smiled. "Bite me."

A sudden wave of fury overcame Trunks, and his hand involuntarily curled up into a tight fist. He restrained himself from hitting the snot-nosed punk, though, and straightened his back instead.

"I won't harm you this time, because I need to go check on Pan and Bulla," growled Trunks. In a flash, though, his hand was on Yuki's collar, holding the other male up in the air easily like he weighed nothing. "But if you _ever _even _think_ about talking to me in this way again, or of Pan, or of my sister, I will beat you within an inch of your life and deposit you on Kazuo's doorstep. Do I make myself clear?!"

"Soundly." Yuki's smile did not evaporate, much to Trunks' displeasure.

The Crown Prince began to put him down when suddenly Yuki put a hand on the fist that was wrapped around his collar.

"You know," said Yuki in a cheerful manner with that ever-present smile, "you really piss me off, too."

In a flash Trunks was thrown backwards, surprise on his face when he realized that he had been knocked a whole eight yards or so away from the foxlike man. Adrenaline pounded in his veins.

Screw manners and etiquette.

Yuki was going to die.

* * *

Pan had just emerged from the bathroom wearing a simple red nightgown when there was a sudden crash that shook the ceiling, causing some dust and a few specks of dirt to crumble to the ground. "What was that?" she asked in alarm.

Bulla, who had been reading in her bed, had turned pale. "Don't you sense it?" she whispered. "My big brother is fighting. It's been a long time since I heard the castle like this." At Pan's confused expression, Bulla added, "A few months ago he would randomly challenge Dad or some guards. Mini-earthquakes like these are nothing compared to a fight with my Dad."

"So Trunks is fighting someone?"

"Yes," said Bulla with a nod of her head. She turned her gaze back onto her book. "I'm sure he'll be fine, though. After all, no one has ever managed to land a scratch on Trunks."

Pan furrowed her brow and fanned out her Ki, trying to sense the others. When she sensed Trunks and Yuki, she felt sick all of a sudden. The worry she felt was unexpected; fear for the Crown Prince's life became like a disease within her, and she found herself unconsciously approaching the door.

She had to go see Trunks.

"I'm going to go make sure that he's all right," Pan said, twisting the doorknob. "I'll be right back, okay?"

Bulla looked at Pan deeply for a moment before she smiled knowingly. "There really is no need to worry so much. If it's Yuki he's fighting—and undoubtedly it _is_ Yuki—then I'm sure Trunks will be fine. I think it would be for the best if you just stayed here out of harm's way."

BAM!

CRASH!

Bulla nodded her head, as if the loud noises from the skirmish were agreeing with her. "You would just distract Trunks. I think you should just remain in here." She patted at the spot beside her on the bed. "In the meantime, let's have some girl-talk, all right? There's a few questions I have for you regarding my brother."

* * *

Trunks spat out some blood on the ground. _Crap._

He had half-expected Pan and Bulla to come investigate all the ruckus he and Yuki were making, but was glad when, after five minutes or so passed, no one interfered. Not even his own father or mother had barged into the room.

Perhaps they were glad that he was going on a rampage, for once. This brat deserved a good whooping, and Trunks was more than happy to oblige.

Besides his mouth bleeding due to a nice hard hit to the face, Trunks was faring pretty well. Yuki, unfortunately, did not look as bad either. He had a few cuts on his arms that leaked out blood, and had a large bruise on his wrist from when Trunks had flipped him over, but otherwise the two men were fine.

"You are a lot tougher than I had thought you would be," Yuki mused. "Too bad."

"And you're a lot weaker than I had thought," Trunks retorted. "I had nothing to worry about, after all. Pan and Bulla could easily kick your sorry butt into a different galaxy had you attacked them."

Yuki smirked. "Are you implying that those two _girls_ are stronger than you? If they're as strong as you say, and yet you claim to be stronger, tell me…Why am I not in a different galaxy right now?"

Muttering a cuss word under his breath, Trunks ran at Yuki and the fight continued.

Yuki was, unfortunately, a skilled martial artist. If Trunks hadn't been half-Saiyan himself, he highly doubted that he would've been able to be on par with Yuki. For someone who wasn't a Saiyan, Yuki was remarkably fast. In any case, though, Trunks had the upper hand, and Yuki knew it.

Out of everything else Yuki did, though, it was that cocky, irritating, foxlike smile that made Trunks angry more than any other action.

With this in mind, he did a side-kick and hit Yuki squarely in the solar plexus, knowing fully well what the damage could be. After all, when it came down to it, Trunks had more strength than Yuki did.

Yuki's eyes widened in surprise, and he coughed out some blood before he crumpled to his knees.

"It's over," Trunks said firmly, wiping some sweat off of his forehead. "You are still weaker than me, Yuki. Give up."

To Trunks' surprise, though, Yuki began to chuckle. "Oh, my dear Prince Trunks," he cackled, getting to his feet. He was staring at his feet, so Trunks wasn't sure what sort of expression adorned Yuki's face; however, Yuki continued to speak. "This fight was a mere play for me. You weren't really going all-out just then..._were you?"_

And Yuki's head snapped up, revealing a wide grin, his eyes, almost manically, wide open.

Trunks tensed and got back into a fighting position, raising his hands up warily.

* * *

**And that concludes the ninth chapter!**

**As aforementioned, I shall try to update every week. Please be patient with me! :D**

**I am SO SO SORRY! I haven't updated in over a week! School has been very stressful, though...studying for AP classes and whatnot, it's really tough. Even right now I'm supposed to study. If this chapter seemed random and sort of odd, I'm sorry...to be honest I've had it done for more than two days. I've just been too busy to post it. Yeah, I know, I'm awful. Sorry.**

**As I said earlier, I will thank all my reviewers individually next chapter; I'm in too much of a hurry right now to actually do so...I'm sorry everyone!**

**Thank you, my dears, for being so patient. I appreciate it.**

**By the way...for you Harry Potter fans out there...J.K. ROWLING IS MAKING ANOTHER BOOK! I'm excited, but at the same time I'm surprised. I thought she had ended it...**

**Oh well, the magic continues at least! :D **

**Sayonara! **

**(Pan in Japanese literally means 'bread,' by the way.) **


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay guys, I gotta warn you…the pace in this chapter is fast. No joke. But it's long, so that's an improvement…right? Hehe, yeah, I apologize for the rushed-ness, but I needed to update. Besides, I made it longer because 1.) I wanted to put more drama in and 2.) It's sort of like an apology for not updating quickly enough. To be honest, I like this chapter, even though it's rushed…and perhaps a bit random. I hope ya'll like it, too!**

**I apologize, everyone. I got sick also…sorry…and I'm really busy with school work. Forgive me!**

**And now, to thank my Reviewers from Chapter 8 and Chapter 9:**

**Seraphin Falls: Ha! I'm glad you thought that part was funny—it's hard for me to put humor in this particular fanfic, so I'm glad you caught that! It made my day when I saw your review, so thank you! Don't worry, I don't plan on losing interest in this fanfic anytime soon; I will definitely finish it to the end!**

**nite-fire: Thanks! Gohan and Goten will be coming up pretty soon, and I can't wait to introduce them! I'm glad you're still interested in this fanfic; reviews like yours always cheer me up! **

**FoAteaZombie: It's a little late, but Happy Birthday! Also, I will definitely start to read your stories more; I've already started on one of them, the "I Can't Stand You!" one, and I think it's very good! I can't wait to read them! ^^**

**Meemi: I'm very glad that you like this story! I always feel bad whenever I don't update consistently…I feel guilty! **** But in any case, I hope this chapter made your day, as your reviews always make mine!**

**Desigirl-hime: Thank you for your review! It seriously cheered me up, so thanks! ^_^ There will be more Trunks/Pan moments in the future, so I hope you continue to enjoy!**

**TeeLee123: I've never read/seen Hana Yori Dango, but I should definitely check it out sometime! Kamisama Hajimemashita is a really good manga/anime, so if you're looking for something new to read I would suggest it! As for the ages…Pan is 19, and Bulla is 20. I thought it would be really interesting if someone older acted younger, you know? I thought it's cool, so I'm glad you think that Bulla acts younger! ^_^ She's definitely an upbeat character in this story haha! Thank you for your long reviews! Oh, and also, there's no need to worry about me cracking; AP classes are definitely hard, but I won't give up! *****Fist punches the air***** I'm gonna do my best! **

**Vegetable lov3r: Haha! I'm glad you like this story! It made my day when I saw your review as well; it made me laugh, and I'm very happy that you gave me such a long review! "It's exactly the same, I hate you, I won't read you again XD Lol" I burst out laughing when I saw that, so thanks for cheering me up! Hahaha! ^^ And you know, you're right! Yuki and Gin definitely do have similarities, what with the smile and stuff haha! I'm glad you're liking the story!**

**Cheerioss25: Thanks! I'm glad you loved it! ^_^**

**nickyzas: Yep! I've studied Japanese, and Spanish as well, so when I first saw the connection between the two words I was, "Wow! They mean the same thing!" There are a few Japanese words that mean similar things in Spanish, surprisingly. It's really cool! **

**SonPanssj4: Haha! That made me burst out laughing, your review! Hehe, I'm glad you are still into the story! Hope I didn't disappoint! ^^**

**dianaloveanime: I'm glad you love the story! ^_^ I hope I will continue to keep your interest!**

**SweetenedSky: Yup! In Japanese and Spanish, pan means bread. Isn't that cool?! **** Governor Kazuo definitely appeared shady in the last chapter, but in this one you'll see that he's not as shady as his son haha! ^_^ I'm glad you are still into this story; I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint! ^^**

**Awesomegirl789: Hehe don't worry, there will be more Trunks/Pan moments soon!**

**NR: Yep, Yuki and his dad are definitely a shady bunch! I just hope you like the plot twist in this chapter! I hope it isn't confusing; I hope you like the way this chapter turned out! Haha, these characters have a mind of their own, I tell you! ^_^**

**Guest: I'm glad that you are enjoying the story! However, I haven't edited anything. If I could, there would be some grammar changes haha! I have no idea how to edit, unfortunately. ^^ Maybe it is because you haven't read in a long time? There certainly have been a lot of chapters, so that's probably it. And I addressed the reviewers after the comparison, not beforehand, so…yeah. ^^ I do agree with you about the summary though! **** This story just sort of…happened. I'm just no good with summaries. I'll probably fix it sometime. …Probably…hehe! **

**Okay, now that the reviewing is done…enjoy!**

* * *

"_I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon_

_After all, I knew it had to be something to do with you _

_I really don't mind what happens now and then_

_As long as you'll be my friend at the end_

_If I go crazy then will you still call me superman?_

_If I'm alive and well will you be there a holdin' my hand _

_I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might_

_Kryptonite…"_

Song: Kryptonite

By: Three Doors Down

* * *

"What do you want to ask?" Pan asked, watching Bulla cautiously.

"Oh, not much," said Bulla. She closed the book that was in her hands and placed it on the nightstand to the side, giving Pan her full attention. She paused for a moment before she said, "You will be leaving soon, right? For a little bit."

"Yeah," said Pan, nodding her head. She sat down on the bed beside Bulla, only she remained on the outside comforter instead of cocooning herself in the sheets, like how the princess was doing now. She curled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

Bulla nodded her head before a sigh escaped her lips. "Pan, let's just cut to the chase. I'm tired of watching my brother dance around you, while you wear this mask of indifference." A smile tugged at Bulla's mouth. "It's only natural. You want to keep yourself guarded, right? Especially from my brother. Tell me honestly, Pan: Do you like Trunks?"

Pan took a sharp breath. "Trunks?"

Lately Pan herself had been asking that question. True, she had warmed up to Trunks, and she wasn't ignorant of his new attitude towards her. When she had first arrived, he had been absolutely dreadful, but at the same time he had _attempted_ at being friendly…in his own way, at least.

Pan wasn't really sure what she felt when it came to the young Crown Prince. They were not yet that close, and she knew that there was no way she would able to love someone without establishing a real friendship first. Over time, though, it was wholly possible that they would get closer…

_What Trunks feels for me is merely attraction,_ Pan thought degradedly. _We've only known each other for, what, two weeks? All he feels for me is just simple curiosity. I won't ever come to love him unless we have a strong friendship first…even though he—_

"Well?" said Bulla, interrupting Pan's thoughts; she sounded quite impatient. When Pan turned her head to look at Bulla, she noticed the slight frown on the young princess's face. Before Pan could say anything, Bulla let out an elongated sigh. "Ah…I knew it. My brother is head over heels for you, but you're too, er, goal-oriented, aren't you?"

Pan stared at Bulla blankly.

Bulla tried to explain again. "What I'm saying is that you're too wary of him, aren't you? It makes sense. I don't blame you at all. After all, there had been pretty horrid rumors regarding my brother if I remember correctly. Most of them were unfounded and just lies, if that makes you feel better." She reached her hand up and put a flyaway strand of blue hair back behind her ear as she offered Pan a weak smile. "However, you should know, Pan, that Trunks doesn't give up very easily."

Pan blinked. "What do you mean?"

The smile became a full-out smirk that was full of confidence. "You'll find out soon enough, Pan."

* * *

Trunks and Yuki had somehow managed to take the fight outside of the castle, and were now standing in the middle of one of the castle's many courtyards. If Trunks recalled accurately, this was one of Bulla's favorite areas to retreat to whenever she was feeling stressed. He would be careful to not damage _too_ much of the area.

"I can't believe you're still standing," Trunks snarled, wiping some sweat off of his brow. A cocky smirk played on his lips. "Even I'm getting tired. Surely you, who doesn't even have an _ounce_ of Saiyan blood running through your veins, are about to collapse."

But Yuki merely chuckled. "I don't believe anyone ever said that I was fully _human,_ either."

And the never-ending-smile-faced man did not give Trunks any time to process this new information, as he merely lunged at the Crown Prince, his hands not in a fist, oddly enough, but stretched out as if he had talons.

Trunks had to swipe his head side to side as he stepped backwards as Yuki continued to rapidly advance on him, continually aiming for his head. _This guy dares to attack ME?_

_If he were to go all-out like this on Bulla, would she be all right?_

_ What about Pan?_

A sudden image of Pan, scratches all over her face along with bruises and blood seeping out of the many wounds on her skin made Trunks' blood boil with rage. If he lost this fight, Yuki would undoubtedly round on them—and he highly doubted that neither Bulla nor Pan would be able to fight off Yuki.

The Crown Prince could not let that happen. _Ever._

With a roar that was almost animalistic, Trunks threw his hands out to catch himself as he purposefully fell to the ground; in the next instant, Trunks' did a side-kick from the ground, his foot connecting with Yuki's solar plexus without any difficulty. But even though Yuki was thrown back a few yards, coughing up blood, it wasn't enough to satisfy Trunks.

Trunks ran at Yuki, and his barrage of attacks did not let up as he punched Yuki one time, two times, three times, _four _times, before he grabbed a dazed Yuki by the shirt and pulled him forward, kneeing the young man in the stomach without restraint. It was only then that Trunks let go of him, only to push him roughly onto the ground.

Trunks stared down at Yuki impassively, waiting for the foxlike man to get to his feet. Trunks figured that Yuki, at this point, would want to stop fighting. Any sensible person would want to cease the fighting, after all.

But, to Trunks' surprise, Yuki did not do that.

No, he certainly did not.

Instead, he burst out laughing.

It wasn't a normal laugh, though. Trunks' eyes widened as Yuki's laugh got louder and louder, almost on the edge of manic. Yuki lifted his head up and gazed at Trunks' with wild eyes, his irises a deep purple-color, though there seemed to be an electric sort of energy behind them as a broad smile took over his face.

"Ah, don't you love it, Crown Prince? That feeling when another person is being defeated by you—isn't it great?! The knowledge that you dominate, that you are _powerful,_ doesn't that just make you feel so _alive_?!" Yuki got to his feet, stumbling slightly because of how many blows he had taken. Regardless, though, he seemed so…_energetic._

For the first time since the fight had began, Trunks truly thought Yuki was a threat.

* * *

Pan felt unnerved by Bulla's statement. "What do you mean?" she asked with a frown.

Bulla shrugged her shoulders and reached over for her book again. She did not open it, though; she merely placed it on her lap.

"Well, Trunks has never really been sociable to begin with, and I—and everyone, for that matter—can see that he's put up a real effort to get to know you. And really, Pan," she added with a smile, "who can resist my brother?"

Pan felt her face go aflame before she shook her head. "I don't know Trunks that well yet. We are barely friends right now, you know."

"Time will change that," said Bulla. She sounded so sure, Pan almost believed it.

_But my brothers,_ she thought fleetingly. She would see them soon, and Trunks did not want her to keep it a secret that she had been working at the palace the whole time. However, the Crown Prince had been right when he had told her that she always had her brothers tell her what to do.

She was nineteen-years-old, for crying out loud! She could surely make decisions for herself at this point.

_It's not like they have been around the past year anyway,_ she thought bitterly.

Realizing that focusing on her problems would make her become negative for the rest of the day, Pan reluctantly tried to not think of all of her worries. Though she tried, she could not help it, though.

Her thoughts always went back to Trunks.

Even now inside the room she could sense Trunks' Ki flaring up. She knew he was all right, though; his Ki was not weak.

Oddly enough, Yuki's aura seemed to be on par with Trunks, much to Pan's surprise. Were they merely sparring?

BOOM!

Another loud crash shook the castle. _Apparently not,_ Pan thought wryly. She turned to look at Bulla once more. "Should we go check on him, Bulla?" she asked worriedly.

Bulla looked up from the book that she had started to read again. A smirk was playing on her lips. "You wanna go see my brother that badly again, huh?"

Pan fought the urge to roll her eyes. Seriously, there were times whenever Pan forgot that Bulla was a princess.

"You could go check up on him by yourself," retorted Pan plainly, fighting a blush. "I don't care. I really don't. I just don't want our Crown Prince to get hurt is all."

"Riiiiiight." Bulla nodded her head seriously, and her tone was serious as well; however, it was the slight way of her lips that twitched upwards that gave her true thoughts away, and Pan groaned loudly.

"I'm not lying!" she insisted.

"You know what?" said Bulla, her smile more gentle now. "I'm glad that you're showing your feisty side, Pan."

Pan's eyes widened. "My feisty side?" she repeated.

Before arriving, Pan had always managed to have two sides to her personality: Polite, yet a spitfire at the same time. From what Chi-Chi had told her, she had inherited her father, Goku's, personality when it came to overall friendliness.

Goku. The man Pan never really knew.

She had heard stories of him beforehand, of course. Oddly enough, it had been ten years since she had last seen him, and her memories of him were vague, though she had been nine when he had left. One would think that Pan would surely be able to recall some sort of _glimpse_ of her father, but she couldn't even tell you what his hair looked like if asked.

Chi-Chi had always thought that Pan had merely repressed the sadness of her father's sudden departure by wiping him from her memory. It was very possible, Chi-Chi had thought, for Pan to somehow get Gohan and Goku mixed up. Gohan was the eldest, after all, and more of a father-figure to Pan during her most critical years of being a teenager.

"Oi," said Bulla, snapping her fingers to catch Pan's attention. "Snap out of it. You looked pale for a moment. Are you all right?"

"Y-Yeah," said Pan shakily, rubbing her temples lightly. "I just had a sudden memory."

"Hm. Well," said Bulla, swinging her feet over her bed, "I think we should go outside and tell Trunks and Yuki to stop their little spat. If we don't stop them, they'll wind up destroying my favorite courtyard, and then _I'll_ be the one fighting _them._"

* * *

Yuki showed no more signs of getting tired. If anything, his speed had started to increase—that, or Trunks' was losing the energy to move even faster. Trunks could feel the first signs of fatigue laying into him, and he knew that if his father had been watching him, Vegeta would've been ashamed. As it was, no one was watching, and Trunks was grateful.

Though he wasn't sure why, Trunks was going easier on Yuki than he intended. He observed Yuki's fighting patterns, observed the way how Yuki became more and more unstable the more injured he got. It seemed as if Yuki did not like the own sight of his blood, despite the bloodlust he was feeling.

"Prince Trunks, I applaud you," said Yuki, his voice sounding somewhat more cool than it had earlier. He had slightly calmed down, though the malice and unstable glint in his eyes remained. "I've never fought someone so entertaining before. Everyone else in the past would bite the dust before my feet. But you—you're still standing, and we've been fighting for over thirty minutes now! This is such a treat for me!"

And Yuki threw his head back and laughed.

Right now the two of them were at a stalemate, both of them breathing heavily and taking a small break. However, Trunks knew it wouldn't last very long; sooner or later, Yuki would attack.

But Trunks would be ready. He had observed Yuki's patterns and attacks and had already learned the fox's strategy. Nothing would faze him anymore, and Trunks was grateful for the analytical mind he had been given from Bulma, his mother.

"While _I_ might be entertaining _you,_" drawled Trunks cockily, "_you_ have been very _boring_ to _me._"

"Oh?" said Yuki, his laugh coming to a halt. A flat expression took over his face. "Then I must apologize. I must correct that."

The two men crouched into different fighting stances, Yuki looking more offensive while Trunks took a defensive one. Trunks was just bracing himself for an attack when he suddenly sensed two familiar Ki signatures behind him, and he felt his blood run cold.

_No. Not now._

"Oh, it's the lovely princess and the mouse," said Yuki, sounding amused. "They must be here to help rescue you. Aw, now that's sweet. The prince, rescued by two little _girls._"

To the side, standing fifty yards away, was Pan and Bulla. The two girls looked surprised at how far the fight had escalated; Bulla was grabbing Pan's elbow, murmuring something so low that not even Trunks could hear. Most likely, the princess was telling Pan to not interfere.

"Shut up," snarled Trunks, glaring at Yuki. "I thought your father said that you could easily defeat a Saiyan, so tell me, why have I not been defeated yet? In the end, it was all just talk. You're pathetic."

This seemed to strike a nerve in Yuki, which surprised Trunks slightly; he hadn't counted on invoking Yuki's anger this way. But Yuki's face turned white with anger, and Trunks had learned over the years that while a person turning red from anger was frightening, a person turning _white_ undoubtedly meant a deadly fight would ensue.

"You want to see me defeat a Saiyan?" said Yuki coolly. "Very well."

And then, faster than normal, a sudden dark purple orb of light appeared in his hands. Trunks' eyes widened; he had never seen an attack look like that before. It was very bright, almost blinding, and he braced himself. _What the heck IS that?!_

Yuki concentrated all of his energy in forming the orb, which was quickly getting bigger and bigger. Yuki took a deep breath and let it out, his eyes narrowed on Trunks. Trunks was preparing himself to take the blast, but he felt an icy fist grab his heart when he noticed Yuki's gaze travel somewhere behind him.

With a smirk so wicked Trunks knew he would never be able to erase it from his mind, Yuki took a step forward and thrust his hands forward, sending the blast of light somewhere behind the young Crown Prince's shoulder.

Right over Trunks' shoulder, heading in a path that led to Pan.

* * *

Pan couldn't move her body at all. As it was for Trunks, everything for Pan was going in slow motion, giving her plenty of time to mentally chastise herself. She was paralyzed with fear, and could not move her body.

She was about to die—or at least, feel some serious pain.

"NO!" bellowed Trunks, and he suddenly flash-stepped and stood in front of her, his arms sprawled out, leaving himself vulnerable.

Pan had no time to think, because time began to speed up again. The blast had thrown Trunks to the side twenty yards away from her, and without another thought she ran towards him, her face ashen from the fear she was feeling. His eyes were scrunched in a grimace of pain, and his shirt had been ripped slightly from the blast. However, as soon as Pan knelt beside him, he grabbed her wrist and glared up into her eyes.

"Take my sister and find my father," he ordered weakly as he tried to sit up; she put a hand on his back to support him, helping him sit up. "You two will be safer with him."

_How did he survive such a powerful blast?! I've seen my brothers get into horrible spats with powerful opponents before, but most people would have died…is Trunks really that strong? Like my brothers?_

"No," said Pan firmly, shaking her head. "I'll stay here and fight with you. I won't stay on the sidelines." _My brothers taught me well enough to not back down from a fight, especially when the people you love are on the line,_ she thought fiercely, her gaze intensifying, matching Trunks' grave expression.

Trunks looked slightly surprised but said nothing. He seemed to be at war with himself before he groaned, getting to his feet. "Very well. Tell Bulla to go to King Vegeta, then. She must stay out of the way."

Pan nodded her head and glanced at the princess. Yes, sending the princess away was a good idea. Even Pan couldn't stand the thought of the upbeat princess in danger. "Okay. I'll be right back."

Trunks turned to glower over at Yuki and said, "That was a cheap move, you twisted, sociopathic, no-good, rotten—"

"Bulla, please go find your father and stay with him," Pan said as she got to Bulla's side, nudging her slightly with her hand. "Your brother and I will take care of Yuki."

"Are you _sure_ you can take on Yuki?" asked Bulla, her eyes wide with fear. There were even tears that threatened to spill, and Pan felt her heart clench. "Will you both be all right, Pan?"

"Of course!" said Pan hastily, glancing over her shoulder to look at the Crown Prince; it seemed as if he was continuing his rant on how dishonorable Yuki was. It would have seemed funny if Pan wasn't so scared; of all things, Trunks was giving a _lecture_ to the enemy?

Pan turned back to Bulla and forced a smile, a bravado appearing. Her brothers had always taught her to appear confident, even if she wasn't feeling it. "Don't worry about us. Trunks will definitely be all right. I'll make sure of it."

"And what about you?"

Pan hesitated. "I…will be fine. Yes. I will be fine." Though the words were directed to the young princess, Pan felt as if she was encouraging herself.

Bulla gave Pan a long hard look before she nodded and turned around.

As soon as Bulla flared up her Ki and flew away, Pan turned her attention to Yuki. Though she hadn't counted on ever revealing her Saiyan heritage to Yuki—hadn't even thought of it—she knew that Trunks would need her help.

"—and furthermore, your fighting ability as a whole is just sloppy. Seriously, attacking an enemy's comrade?! That was a duel between just you and me, pal! Not. Cool."

Heaving a heavy breath, as if done with his ranting, Trunks turned and looked at Pan. "Sorry. But he really pissed me off back there. You could've gotten killed."

"Like you, I'm half-saiyan," Pan reminded him, lifting her hands as she crouched into a fighting stance. "I could have taken the hit." _I highly doubt I could've. I would've been toasted. _Her thoughts were, ironically, the exact opposite of her words. Her bravado was kicking in, not for her sake, but for everyone else's.

"I'm not so sure about that." Looking pained at the thought of how the blast had almost hit her, Trunks scowled at Yuki. "Ready for round two? This time, I'm not holding back."

Yuki bowed, almost mockingly, and said, "Oh? Finally putting up a real challenge for me, hmm? The Crown Prince and his little _dog,_ both of them fighting me."

"Oh, so I'm a _dog_ now?!" said Pan, offended.

Yuki shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "You were not too keen on my other nickname. But I think 'dog' is fitting. After all, when it comes down to it, you're nothing but a servant: a mere dog for the palace. And you know what?" he sneered at her. "Dogs are always, always, _always_ easily replaceable."

And then he flash-stepped, appearing directly in front of her, and sent a solid roundhouse kick to her side, sending Pan backwards meters away. The wind got knocked out of her, and she coughed for air as she jumped to her feet, though she stumbled when she did so.

As she tried to regain her air back, she watched with wide eyes as Trunks began to lash out at Yuki. Indeed, this fight had gone up a whole new level, and to Pan's delight it appeared that the Crown Prince was holding true to his word, for he was winning. That much was obvious.

Retrieving her air once more, Pan flared up her Ki and, throwing caution to the wind—it was too late now to back out of the fight; the King and Queen would undoubtedly find out she was Saiyan after that, but she no longer cared—she charged at Yuki, returning the favor and kicking him solidly in the solar plexus.

"Don't underestimate me!" she growled.

And for the first time ever, Trunks got to see Pan's true self, the other side of her that had been awfully repressed since she had arrived at the castle.

She wiped the sweat off of her brow and panted heavily, exchanging a look with Trunks. With a silent nod, the two simultaneously lunged at Yuki, who was now laughing, a terrible, maniacal sound.

* * *

The pressure from the three powerful Ki outside made Bulla cringe as she stood beside her two parents, the three of them in the throne room. Vegeta sat in his throne like nothing was wrong, but Bulma was pacing back and forth, looking troubled.

"I knew Yuki was up to no good!" she said, sounding exasperated. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!"

"Relax, woman," said Vegeta, almost indifferent. "Trunks and Pan will be all right. They can handle themselves." But then he frowned and he looked down at his daughter, narrowing his eyes when she blinked innocently up at him. "How long have you known that Pan was a Saiyan?" he asked.

"Not too long," Bulla answered truthfully. Feeling self-conscience underneath her father's piercing eyes, she lowered her gaze onto the ground, taking a sudden interest in her black shoes. "Pan revealed it to me earlier today, actually…But Trunks knew it before I did."

"Trunks already knew?" said Vegeta. "Interesting. In the past, he would have been the first to notify me of something like this. Saiyans, besides the soldiers the come and go, in the castle pose as a threat to my family…something serious like this is something he would have told me immediately."

Bulma's eyebrows furrowed, forming a small crease in her forehead. "Trunks…knew about this already?"

"What is the girl's last name?" Vegeta said.

"Um…I'm not entirely sure," Bulla admitted. "Trunks knows, though."

"Trunks knows even that!" Vegeta scoffed. "Hmph. Well. It seems like he trusts Pan a great deal to not even bother handing her over and kicking her out of the castle."

"Pan is a trustworthy person," Bulla said, feeling a need to vouch for her best friend. "Even now, she's fighting to protect Trunks."

"Eh?" Bulma cried out in surprise. "Pan's fighting to protect _my_ son? But Trunks doesn't need protecting!" She glanced at her husband with an accusatory look. "You told me Yuki was nothing more than a small-fry for Trunks!"

At this, a smirk played on Vegeta's lips.

Bulla was well-accustomed to that expression on her father's face. It was the same look he got when he knew there was absolutely no way that he was wrong. Somehow, it put an emotional mixture of fear and relief in Bulla, calming her down slightly.

"Trunks is taking Yuki seriously now, especially since Pan is nearby. He doesn't want her to get hurt. Seriously, woman, don't you know anything from being around me for so long? Worrying about a warrior's life on the battlefield is only an insult*!" Vegeta let out a heavy sigh and leaned back into his seat, more calm now. "Normally, I would have Pan leave the premises immediately. However, I think I shall reconsider. From this day on, she will be Trunks' bodyguard as well as yours, Bulla."

Bulla's eyes widened in delight. "Really?!"

"You two cannot sense it as well as I, but for me, it is almost like I am watching the fight itself," said Vegeta, his eyes closed in concentration. "That girl…definitely knows what she is doing. She will make a fine bodyguard. Even now, she takes most of the heavy damage for Trunks…which I sense, is not making Trunks happy. If anything, it is fueling his rage."

Vegeta's eyes snapped open and he smiled. "Yuki will most certainly die, if he continues to focus those Meteor Blasts at Pan. Trunks will lose himself to his rage and kill him."

"Meteor Blasts?" repeated Bulma. "You mean he's from…?"

"Indeed."

Bulla blinked, confused. _"Where_ is he from?" she demanded, curiosity eating up her insides.

But Vegeta's eyes were closed, observing Trunks and Pan's fight with Yuki, effectively blocking out Bulma and Bulla's questioning.

* * *

Trunks could see nothing but red. Figuratively and literally.

He was beyond angry right now, cradling Pan's weak body as she took in shallow breaths of air.

For a while, their fight had went well. Pan and Trunks had both managed to evade the burn of Yuki's fierce attacks, and all had seemed to be pointed in the direction of the two of them emerging victorious from the skirmish.

But then, everything changed when Yuki had managed to get a lucky shot in. He had somehow flash-stepped behind Pan and had broken her ribs—Trunks wasn't sure how many—with a small, low-powered, yet still dangerous, Meteor Ball in his hand. Those things, as it turned out, were devastating in close-ranged combat. Trunks himself wasn't even sure how Yuki managed to do so, but every time he hit Pan with one of those Meteor attacks, Pan would sustain a heavy amount of damage.

And yet…

Yuki would hardly ever attack Trunks. He solely went after Pan, as if knowing that by hurting the young woman, he would also be injuring Trunks as well.

Pan had defended herself well, but it seemed as if Yuki knew how to manipulate both of them. If he went after Trunks, Pan would try to take the hit herself. If Yuki tried to attack Pan, Trunks would try to shield her. It was all just a cycle, and for a while it seemed as if it would remain that way.

The last attack, which had been a fully-powered Meteor Ball, had rendered Pan unconscious. Though she had certainly put up a good fight, her petite self could not handle the stress of the attacks, and she had collapsed.

Blood was oozing out of the many cuts that were sprinkled around Pan's arms and face. She had a horrible burn on her arm, and Trunks knew that if it wasn't treated quickly, she would have a gnarled looking scar on her arms.

Yuki's voice was harsh. "Well. Seems like the little _dog_ didn't have any fight in her. Is that really the extent of her abilities?" He shook his head. "Pitiful."

"Don't underestimate her," Trunks growled. His eyes snapped up to Yuki, glaring at him. "We've played with you for far too long. I should have ended this a long time ago."

And with that, Trunks powered up into a Super Saiyan. "You're dead." And he ran at him, full-force, and grabbed Yuki by the throat.

* * *

"Stop!" shouted a panicked voice. "Stop! Please, Crown Prince, let him go!" Governor Kazuo was running down the steps in Trunks' peripheral vision, his face red from the exertion of running. Obviously, the older man didn't exercise as often as Yuki did, but he certainly looked frightened. "Occasionally Yuki will 'flip-out,' and he can't control it. Please, unhand him!"

Behind Governor Kazuo stood Trunks' father, Vegeta, along with Bulma and Bulla. While the two women looked as if they might faint at the sight of the blood that covered his body, Vegeta merely smirked, his arms folded across his chest.

_Typical. Even now he's not worried,_ Trunks thought, his blood cooling down. _Which means…he agrees with Kazuo?_

"Why should I not just kill this fool?" he snapped, directing the question towards Kazuo. "He dared to challenge me. Not only that, but he practically insulted me and threatened to harm Pan and Bulla. Do you really think I should just let him go like this so easily?"

"I think he has had enough!" cried out Kazuo. "Just look at him!"

Trunks turned his head and glared at Yuki. To his surprise, the smile had, for once, faded. Yuki's mouth was in a thin line, and he looked tired, as if he had no more fight within him. He had many bruises that covered up his skin, and he had many cuts that oozed blood. It wouldn't surprise Trunks if Yuki winded up having to be in the hospital for little more than two weeks.

Scowling, Trunks' kept his grip lowered from Yuki's throat to his collar. "I really don't see why I should keep him alive. He isn't even a human, nor a Saiyan! What is he?" he demanded.

"Boy, don't you know?" Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Yuki here isn't a Saiyan, but he's very similar. What is the closest relative race outside of our planet?"

Trunks thought a moment before he narrowed his eyes. "K…Kabochan?"

"Precisely."

Kazuo took a step forward, his hands raised up, as if worried that any sudden movement would have Trunks destroy his opponent that was currently in his grasp.

"I adopted him," he said slowly, "and have trained him ever since. Occasionally, though, he will have these abrupt urges to fight. And that often gets us in trouble. Normally he is able to control it, especially with this type of medicine he's given, but since we've stayed here for seven days, he's run out of the medicine. We will have to go home soon so that we can restore him to his formal self."

"That's a load of bull," said Trunks, his grip around Yuki's collar tightening. "I think right now we all know who really killed that maid. It was Yuki, right?"

Kazuo grimaced in pain. "Sometimes…he can't control it," he admitted weakly, "but my son is really a good person."

"Why was he such a suspicious character since his arrival? Why has he always had this sadistic air about him?" demanded Bulla, speaking up for the first time since her arrival. She had her hands on her hips, and she looked confused. In that moment, she really did resemble Bulma, much to Trunks' surprise. "Yuki has always harassed Pan and me. He's never stopped creeping us out. Not to mention, he tried to drug Pan!"

"Drug Pan? That's absurd!" yelped Kazuo. "Yuki will 'flip-out,' yes, but he would never be able to do that! Whenever he doesn't get the medicine, he only tends to be more hotblooded and fights. Though it had escalated to that poor woman's death, Yuki is definitely a good person!"

"Right," snorted Bulla, her voice tinged with acid. "Like I will believe that."

"It's the truth!" Kazuo turned to look at Trunks with pleading eyes. "Please," he begged. "Don't harm him."

Yuki coughed.

"I'm…trash. I know it," he muttered, looking up at Trunks with those startling purple eyes. "I've killed an innocent person. I've nearly killed that little dog of yours. In reality, I wouldn't…want to do such a thing…to her."

Trunks glared. Pan was still unconscious on the ground, and no one was currently tending to her. As if reading his mind, Vegeta turned and looked over at Pan, turning his attention to her. Watching as his father approached Pan's crumpled form, the Crown Prince lowered Yuki onto the ground, though his grip remained like steel.

"You acted like a sadist."

"My personality…is odd, yes?" That familiar smile spread across Yuki's face. "I cannot help it. It is how I am. I crave to fight. Medicine helps. But my personality will always remain the same. It is fun, messing with people's minds. Don't tell me you've never felt that swarm of pride fill you up whenever you manage to make people fear you. It is a wonderful sensation, having people fear you…"

"You targeted Pan and Bulla. You tried to drug Pan."

"They were so fun to mess with. By messing with them, I messed with you." As for drugging Pan…that wasn't _me,_ Crown Prince. Someone else must be targeting your little dog. It was not me." Yuki suddenly twitched, his body tensing up underneath Trunks' grip. "If you do not hurry…I will continue…to fight. And kill Pan. Get her away. Get her away _now._"

Alarmed, Trunks turned to shout to his father, but to his surprise Vegeta was already holding Pan in his arms. Compared to his father, Pan looked nothing more than a broken ragged doll that had been kicked in the dirt. Her eyes were still not open.

"As if that brat could even lay a finger on Pan with me here," said Vegeta, his voice harsh when Trunks stared at him worriedly. "Quit acting like a pansy. I don't care if you kill the boy or not. Just make sure you won't regret anything." And with that, he turned, marching away.

Bulma, however, remained, along with Bulla, the two women watching cautiously.

"Please, don't kill him," whispered Kazuo, collapsing to his knees.

"I don't know," said Queen Bulma, causing Kazuo to whip his head around to look at her in shock. Her voice was flippant. "I think you should go ahead and get rid of him, Trunks. Dispose of him is what I think we should do." She glared at Kazuo. "Do you think we are fools? We know very well that you have been wanting Yuki to take the throne for a long time. You have convinced many of the Vegeta-sei Council to turn in your favor, so that, should we, the Royal Family, mess up, you will establish Yuki here on the throne. Isn't that what you wanted? A majority of the Council to be against us?"

"It was what I had envisioned," agreed Kazuo in a low voice, "but I would never go against you nor the family. It was for…precautions."

"That's what they always say in movies and books," said Bulla, rolling her eyes. "The main characters always make the wrong choice of sparing the bad guy, and then the bad guy goes after them and kills one of the main characters. No way do I want that to be my fairy tail story. Mom, I think we should have Kazuo disposed of as well as Yuki. I don't trust either of them."

Kazuo whimpered, and looked like he was about to faint.

Trunks turned his attention back to Yuki. Originally, he would have gone through with his original plan of killing the foxlike man without a moment of hesitation. But somehow, he knew this was wrong. His mother and sister, telling him to kill Yuki, while his father had merely walked away without a care in the world. _It would be nice to receive some advice every now and then,_ Trunks thought, glaring at Yuki again.

"What do _you_ think I should do, Yuki?" said Trunks, narrowing his eyes. _I'll test him, then. If he begs for his life, then he hasn't changed. He will definitely attack more people. People like my sister, like Pan. But if he tells me to kill him…then he's changed. And if he _begs_ me to kill him…then I shall do so._

Yuki blinked in surprise. "You're asking _me_ what I think you should do? Hmph." He chuckled. "You are an idiot, Prince Trunks. A real idiot."

"What is your answer?" Trunks pressed on.

Yuki stared into Trunks for a long hard moment before his eyes lowered to the ground. A heavy sigh escaped his lips, and his next sentence was so casual, it took Trunks by surprise. "I suppose you should just go ahead and kill me. But not my dad. He can't do a thing without me, anyway," he said, rolling his eyes.

"See?" said Bulma, glaring at Yuki. "Even the culprit of all this madness has agreed. Kill him, Trunks."

But Trunks could only scowl. _Darn it!_

"No. I can't," said Trunks flatly. "I won't kill him." And he released Yuki's collar completely, taking a step back as he powered down, his golden hair returning back to its original lavender color. "This guy…isn't naturally like this. On medication, he's irritatingly annoying, and creepy, and weird. But he isn't the sort of guy that will kill a person at random. So I won't kill him. Now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to go check up on Pan. Governor Kazuo," he barked.

Kazuo flinched. "Y-Yes?"

"Get Yuki out of here at once and get him on that medication you mentioned. But let me warn you; next time he kills someone—and I don't care who—I will return the favor. Got it?"

"Loud and clear," Yuki drawled. That impish smile was on his face as he dusted himself off, returning back to his former self. "But we will return soon. Don't forget that."

"Are you threatening me after I just spared you?" said Trunks, cracking his knuckles threateningly.

"Maybe." Yuki smirked. "I can already see that this is the start of a glorious relationship—and rivalry. I will return to check on Pan's condition…to apologize. After I take that medicine, of course. In the meantime, we'll be around in the castle...but don't worry, we will leave soon enough."

And with that, Yuki limped over to his father and leaned an arm around Kazuo. Shooting an unfathomable look at Trunks, the two hobbled towards the palace, undoubtedly wanting to clean Yuki up before their departure.

Bulla stared at Yuki and Kazuo for a long hard moment as they hobbled away, and only until they were completely out of eyeshot did she turn and look at Trunks. "Big brother?"

"Yeah?"

"You are by far the stupidest person I've ever met."

_Yeah,_ thought Trunks, putting a hand through his hair tiredly. _That was probably the dumbest thing I've ever done. But…I can't imagine Pan looking at me if I was a murderer. She would have no respect for me, killing someone who can't control those fighting urges._

_ At least he's normal with medicine. Maybe Mother can come up with something that can stop it permanently._

Keeping that in mind, he walked with his mother and sister, heading towards Physician's Ward, knowing that that was where Pan would be.

* * *

Yuki smirked as he stopped leaning against his father. "Genius, Father, what you told them. I am still surprised that Trunks did not explode regardless, though. Telling him I had a mental condition was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant." Though sometimes, Yuki thought to himself, he had to wonder if something _was_ wrong with him; he hadn't been lying when he had been talking about his bloodlust.

"Indeed," said Kazuo, a smirk playing on his lips. "Though, I must warn you, son: I won't be able to help you next time. If you ever get too confident and attack him again, Trunks will certainly kill you. I believe he was only holding back for the sake of Pan...I doubt he'd want to kill someone in front of _her, _after all."

Yuki rolled his eyes. Yes, the fight with Pan had been absolutely splendid. He hadn't expected her to be a Saiyan; she had seemed so meek and quiet, he had thought that she was just a normal civilian. But she had certainly surprised him. She was no amateur to combat, that much Yuki was certain.

Yuki scoffed. He hadn't intended to hurt Pan. He had gotten so caught up in his bloodlust, he just hadn't counted on it. In the end, his real intention was to fight Trunks. Not necessarily kill him, but definitely shake him up.

But there was something that troubled Yuki. Trunks had accused him of attempting to drug Pan. And since it obviously _wasn't_ Yuki, Yuki knew that someone else was targeting Pan.

But who could that be?

Yuki limped, continuing to lean against his father.

_Pan...my poor little mouse... _A smirk played on Yuki's lips. _You better be careful. Looks like someone is targeting you...or perhaps, not you, but the prince himself. Attack those closest to him, eh? That's the method the culprit shall use?_

Well then. If Trunks turned out to not be so good a protector as everyone would think he would be, and he failed in keeping that mouse safe...

Yuki smirked. _Maybe his little mouse will become _mine. _Though I suppose I should apologize first...that would be a good start._ _  
_

* * *

**Tenth chapter is done. Yay! *Keep scrolling down if you want to know what to expect from next chapter***

**In case that was confusing...yeah, Yuki and Kazuo lied. Yuki is perfectly sane...or rather, he knows what he's doing. Is he a villain still? ...Good question.**

**This was by far the longest chapter I've done so far, I think. So, I'm gonna go ahead and apologize if you got confused or lost with this one.**

** Originally, Yuki was going to die. Trunks was going to kill him. But then I thought…isn't that typical? **

** I like it when bad guys get redeemed, and although I think it was really random in the way he was redeemed, I like it…so I hope you do, too! :D Let's face it...bad guys in fiction are cool! ^^ Honestly, though, I'm not sure if Yuki's redeemed...let me know if you want him to be a "good" guy or a "bad" guy! :)**

** Oh, and because some people are really picky about this sort of thing… **_**"Worrying about a warrior's life on the battlefield is only an insult!" is a quote that I had written in my journal. No, it isn't mine! I had copied it down.**_** I had written a few quotes within it, and had stumbled upon it. Sounds like something Vegeta would say, right? And before anyone asks…no, I don't know who said it, but I'm sure you could look it up! ^_^**

** Anyhoo, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope I didn't disappoint.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: Pan is fine, too, so no worries. In the next chapter, Yuki and his father will be out of the way (for a while), and Pan will head off home to where Chi-Chi and her two brothers shall be. And then...well, I'm not sure. We're both in suspense, you and I! These characters have a mind of their own, I tell you! Hahaha! :) **

**Also! I must add quickly: Yes, I know it is weird that Yuki is getting off with murder...but in most anime, this sort of thing happens, now that I think about it, so don't think too hard about it. **

**And with that, have a great day/week/month/year!**

**-Laughing Princess (By the way, I'm thinking about changing my name soon. So if I do, don't be too surprised haha). I might after I'm finished with this story...which will be a while, I think. Thirty chapters or less. ^_^**

**...Yeah, and I'm sorry if this was rushed. As always, I apologize for that haha. ^^**


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